The Service of the Electress of Bavaria and the Palatinate: A pair of Louis XVI silver two-light candelabra, Jacques-Henri Alberti, Strasbourg, 1780

the candlesticks with stepped shaped circular bases, reeded bands and knops, gadrooned baluster stems and banded sconces, the detachable tops with double-scroll branches and matching sconces flanking bud finials, the bases engraved slightly later PW under a crown, marked on base rims with maker,  Strasbourg standard mark and date letter, the branches with standard mark and unclear date letter

Elisabeth Auguste, Electress of Bavaria and the Palatinate, to her niece
Marie Anne, Duchess in Bavaria, née von Birkenfelt Zweibruken (1753-1824), to her son
Pius Augustus, Duke in Bavaria (1786-1837), to his son
Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria (1808-1888), to his son
Karl Theodor, Duke in Bavaria (1839-1909), to his daughter
Marie-Gabriele, Crown Princess of Bavaria (1878-1912), to her husband
Crown Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria (1869-1955), sold after the First World War to
Jacques Helft, Paris

Paris: Grand Palais, 1932
London: 25 Park Lane, Three French Reigns, 1933
New York: Arnold Seligmann Rey & Co., Inc., Exhibition of French Silver, 1934, no. 67, pl. XXI
Paris: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Orfèvrerie Civile de Province, 1936
Paris: Exposition International, Trésors de l'Art Français, 1937

bases uneven so wobble slightly, one with a little lead solder underneath to try to stabilize join with stem; one sconce beginning to open at seam; otherwise good, rare and important service
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

These candelabra come from an extensive dinner service commissioned by Elisabeth Auguste, Electress of Bavaria and of the Palatinate (1721-1794).  She was the daughter of Hereditary Prince Joseph Karl Emmanuel, and granddaughter on her mother's side of the reigning Elector of the Palatinate.  In 1742 she married her cousin Carl Theodor (1724-1799) and the couple succeeded as rulers of the Palatinate.  The marriage, however, was not a success and produced no surviving children.  In 1767 she purchased the chateau of Oggersheim, and thereafter only spent winters with her husband in Mannheim.  In 1777 the couple acquired the additional title of rulers of Bavaria, but the double Electress only visited Munich once and cultivated a role as "mother" of the Palatinate.

Elisabeth Auguste ordered a new dinner service for Oggersheim upon acquiring it, commissioning it in nearby Strasbourg.  Most of the pieces were delivered by 1770, but a suite of two-light candelabra were added in 1779-80.  The Electress maintained a lavish court, with a personal household of 82 and a total staff counting over 2,000, including a Tafeldecker to lay the table, several assistants, and three women to clean the silver.  The outbreak of the French Revolution put an end to her time at Oggersheim; it was sacked and burned by French troops in 1794, and she died shortly thereafter.

The silver service passed to her niece, Marie Anne des Deux Ponts, Duchess in Bavaria, and descended with that family until after the First World War.  It was then acquired by the Parisian dealer Jacques Helft, who exhibited it widely but began breaking it up.  The largest part was sold in 1939 to Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares.  Sold Sotheby's, New York, 18 October 2001, lot 111, it is now in the Kurpfälzisches Museum, Heidelberg.  A pot à oille and stand from the service, from the same collection as these candelabra, was sold Sotheby's, New York, 23 October 2006, lot 85.