A pair of Italian gilt-bronze and porphyry candelabra after the Antique, with Apollo Belvedere and Mattei Amazon, Workshop of Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839), Roman late 18th/early 19th century

Private European Collector

In overall very good condition and attractive and rare model. Colour of gilding more golden and porphyry slightly darker and much more attractive than in the catalogue photograph. Minor pitting and surface dirt to gilt-bronze. The stalk on the raised upper section on one is slightly bent but this is hardly noticeable.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
W. Koeppe and A., Giusti, Art of the Royal Court, Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe, New York, 2008, p. 310, no. 121.
Alvar Gonzàlez-Palacios, Two candelabra by Luigi Valadier, Metropolitan Museum of Art Journal, 30, 1995, pp. 97-102.
Alvar Gonzáles-Palacios, L'Oro di Valadier, un genio nella Roma del  Settecento, Exhibition Catalogue, Villa Medici, 29th June -8th April 1997, pp. 129-131, no. 27.
Alvar Gonzàlez-Palacios, Arredi e ornamenti alla corte di Roma, Milan, 2004, pp. 345-347.
A. Koutchoumov, Pavlovsk, Le Palais et le Parc, Leningrad, 1976,p. 229, plate 184.

The present pair of candelabra will appear in a future publication by Alvar González-Palacios, `Nostalgiae e Invenizione'. 

The hexagonal plinths and porphyry socles are conceived in a similar vein to those on a pair of candelabra by Luigi Valadier with porphyry bases cast with bucrania made for the Palazzo Borghese, in Rome around 1774, which are now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated by A.G.P., op. cit., p. 130, no. 27, reproduced here in fig. 1. The upper section of the  aforementioned pair is composed of three figures, based upon ancient  prototypes, as on the present pair, centred around a porphyry shaft supporting a tazza from which the candlebranches issue. One of these figures is a reduction of a celebrated Antiquity, the Mattei Amazon in the Capitoline Museum, Rome, the reduction of which is also used for one of the present candelabra. Her pairing with Apollo Belvedere is novel, as in the candelabra made for Palazzo Borghese in 1774 ( see ante).    

The very same figures appear in 1810, amongst the models in wax, plaster and bronze in an inventory of the workshop of Giuseppe Valadier, who inherited the stock-in-trade fom his father Luigi in 1785. It was common practice in the Valadier workshop to repeat successful models; for instance the palazzo Borghese candelabra of 1774 were repeated on the occasion of the visit in 1782 to Rome of the future Tsar of Russia, Paul I and his consort Maria Feodorovna. They are now in the Palace of Pavlovsk outside St. Petersburg,  see Kouctchomov, op. cit., p. 229, plate 184, for a pair in la salle de séjour.
The present examples, therefore, are completely consistent with the production of one of the most famous neo-classical workshops in Rome, that of Luigi Valadier, which after his death in 1785 was directed by his son Giuseppe. In the latter's day, until he passed the enterprise over to the Spagna family, its manufacturers reutilised the models, moulds and tools of the previous decades, as is shown by the present superb examples.   

We are indebted to Professor Alvar González-Palacios for the above footnote written in 2005.