A pair of Régence ormolu four-light candelabra, attributed to André-Charles Boulle circa 1715-20

the central stem cast with acanthus, scrolling foliage, strapwork and bearded masks, issuing a central baluster-shaped arm and three ribbon-tied branch-form arms decorated with acanthus and foliage, the arms surmounted with a foliate-cast drip pans and bobeches, the pierced tripod base cast with masks and mounted with seated figures of putti, raised on scrolled feet cast with acanthus.   

Collection of Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild (1836-1905), Vienna
Collection of Baron Alphonse de Rothschild (1878-1942), Vienna
Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York, 1948 (consigned by Baroness Alphonse de Rothschild (Clarice de Rothschild) and purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Antenor Patiño)
Sotheby's New York, The Patiño Collection, November 1, 1986, lot 24 

With scattered rubbing, traces of surface dirt and oxidation; not extensive. A few minor nicks and cracks to ormolu, probably inherent to the piece. In otherwise good condition.
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.

This model has been attributed to André-Charles Boulle by Jean Nerée Ronfort, see Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, 1986, p. 504, on the basis of the following description which appears, along with lot 707 in this sale, in Boulle's acte de délaissement drawn up in 1715:

"Vingt groupes d'enfants de van Opstal de différentes grandeurs avec leurs ajustements pour server à des girandolles... 800 l."

Boulle owned a number of sculptures of putti by van Opstal in his own collection. Even though the size of the putto figures described is not noted in the inventory, the fact that they were valued only at 40 livres each means that they must have been of small scale, such as the figures decorating the present candelabra.

Several pairs of candelabra of this design have been recorded, including a pair formerly in the Wrightsman Collection, sold from the collection of Alexandre Benchoufi, Sotheby's New York, November 9, 2006, lot 78; a pair formerly in the collection of M. & Mme. Arnold Seligmann, sold Galerie Charpentier, Paris, June 4-5, 1935, lot 126; one formerly in the collection of baron Van Horn Van Vlooswyck, sold Paris, November 22, 1809, lot 88; another pair sold Sotheby's Monaco, May 26, 1980, lot 645; a fifth pair sold Sotheby's New York, May 4, 1984, lot 202; and one pair with slight variations in the shaft and cast with the Cross of Lorraine sold Sotheby's Monaco, May 26, 1980, lot 645. All of the above pairs measure almost exactly the same as the present candelabra, which suggests that all of them were most likely decorated with the same small-scale putti mentioned in Boulle's acte de délaissement.