A fine pair of George III giltwood two-light candelabra circa 1800

each on a stepped alabaster and ebonized base.  Over-gilt, restorations and losses.

Restorations and losses, each over-gilt with chips and losses to the gilding and with cracks and flaking; age cracks to ebonized bases with inpainting; the marble with some minor shallow chips to the edges and with areas of discoloration, darkness and staining; gilt-metal candle nozzles possibly later; overall with minor traces of the original gilding; each with restorations to the body of the snake and with cracking to the composition of candle-arm elements. The first with age cracks to wings of eagle; replacements to claws of eagle; old repaired breaks to the stem with old glue; the other with replacements to the claws of the eagle and with separation to the eagle head at join with body, or possibly an old repaired break.
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.

The iconography of the eagle and serpent is that of light and dark, often used for for candelabra and girandoles, so these figures are fitting subjects for the present pair of highly detailed and finely carved candelabra.  A similar candelabrum is illustrated, M. Jourdain, Regency Furniture 1795-1830, 1965, rev. edn., p. 96, fig. 229.  A related pair of Regency patinated- and gilt-bronze candelabra is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2007.1003.1-2, given by Dr. Horace Wood Brock.