Portugese, circa 1700

Overall the condition of the figures is good. There is dirt and wear consistent with age. There are a number of stable naturally occurring splits to the wood. A number of sections were carved separately and there are joints visible, some of which are slightly open. The figure with the cornucopia in the proper left hand has a larger stable split running down the proper left side of the abdomen and one to the ground at the proper left, front. The proper left arm was carved separately; joints are visible, restored with wax. There are a number of stable splits to both sides of the upper back, restored with wax. There is an insert to the proper left side of the upper back. A piece of drapery at the front at knee level may be reattached. The plume is slightly loose. There are small losses to the ground below the proper left foot. There are a few small holes here and another two in the upper proper left arm. The figure with cornucopia in proper right hand has a number of larger stable splits, including one running through the drapery at the proper left side, through the proper left foot and through the ground at the front. There is another running through the back and one through the proper left arm at the back. There are a number of restorations to the back and to drapery at the back; there are inserts throughout and some folds of drapery may be reattached. Sections of the proper right arm and drapery may have been carved separately; stable joints are visible, some restored with wax. There are a few wood inserts to the arm and hand. The tip of the cornucopia is stable but may have been carved separately/ reattached. There are minor losses to the ground, including to the back. There are a few small holes and knots, some filled with wax, including to the proper right hand, arm and to the drapery at the back. There are a few larger losses or knots filled with wax to the drapery at the back, near the ground. The plumes are detached and are slightly unstable when inserted. The bases are in good condition with dirt and wear to the surfaces and stable open joints.
"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."

The decorative exuberance and exoticism of the present figures is typical of the early Portuguese Rococo style, which reached its height under the reign of John V 'The Magnanimous' (1689-1750), 24th King of Portugal and the Algarves. Such candlesticks would have been used to mark out important spaces, and were generally placed at the entrance of a Church choir or a civic building. Examples tend to be composed of cherubs carrying candles, such as the pair now in a Convent in Aveiro, realized in 1726 in a style close to the sculptor Marceliano de Araújo. A relevant comparison lies in the complex modelling of the knots, draperies and pompoms which feature on the costumes of the allegorical figures on the organ in Braga Cathedral, sculptued by Marceliano de Araújo in 1737-39. In the case of the present torchères, the carefully studied tunics and added cornucopias can be linked to late maneristic sculpture, of which certain aspects resurged during Rococo production on the peninsula. Similar torchères appear in engravings of the funeral catafalque of John V, installed in Rome in 1751 at Sant'Antonio dei Portoghesi, signalling the taste for such items at the heighest levels of Portuguese society.

RELATED LITERATURE
G. Kubler and M. Soria, Art and Architecture in Spain and Portugal and their American dominions 1500 to 1800, London, 1959, p. 191-192; J. A. Levenson, The Age of the Baroque in Portugal, ex. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, New Haven and London, 1993, no. 92; R. C. Smith, Marceliano de Araujo, Porto, 1970, pl. 293; Triomphe du Baroque, Palais des Beaux Arts, Bruxelles, 1991, no. II. 69