A pair of Austrian gilt-bronze two-branch candelabra circa 1784, possibly by Ignaz Joseph Würth, Vienna

Johann Count Fries (1719-1785)
Commissioned for his Palais Fries in Vienna, Josephsplatz, built between 1782 and 1784
Johann Franz Count Fries (1765-1788) his eldest son
Moritz Count Fries (1777-1826) his youngest son
Thence by descent

In overall good original condition. The urn of one slightly wobbly. The drip-pans of the same candelabra are later replacements. One candlearm of the other candelabra is slightly bent inwards which can easily be restored. Re-soldered in some places. They would benefit from a slight clean. A rare pair with interesting provenance.
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Comparative Literature
Wolfram Koeppe, Vienna circa 1780-An Imperial Silver Service Rediscovered, New York 2010, p.21-26, p.39.

This magnificent pair of candelabra with its extremely fine cast neoclassical features bears a strong resemblance to the work of the celebrated Viennese Imperial silversmith and bronzier Ignaz Joseph Würth (1742- 1792). The distinctive pattern of a double band of laurel leaves running down the stem of the present candelabra can be found indentically on silver tureens from the famous second Sachsen-Teschen Service made by Ignaz Joseph Würth between 1780-81 for Duke Albert Casimir of Sachsen-Teschen and his consort Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria, the daughter of Empress Maria-Theresia (op.cit.p.39). The two bands of acanthus leaves around the bases of the candelabra, the detailed laurel festoons to the end of the urn's handles and the rich acanthus-covered branches appear also identically on a group of gilt bronze mounts for vases and a candelabrum attributed to Ignaz Joseph Würth today housed in Versailles and the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein (op.cit. p.22-25).

Johann Count Fries (1719-1785) and Moritz Count Fries (1777-1826)
Johann Count Fries was probably the most prominent industrialist and banker in the Hapsburg Empire and thus one of the richest men of his time. The Palais Fries was constructed under his orders between 1782 and 1784, by Ferdinand Hohenberg von Hetzendorf. The radical, neoclassical simplicity of its facade directly opposite the Hofburg was highly controversial and caused considerable scandal in its day.
His youngest son Count Moritz Fries was a famous patron of the arts assembling an important art collection comprising works by Raphael, van Dyck, Rembrandt, Reni and Dürer as well as supporting the musicians Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. The frequent concerts and soirées that took place in the Palais under Moritz Fries were well known but ultimately the enormous costs of his lavish lifestyle proved too great and in 1826 he was forced to sell the palace.