A pair of South German turned ivory and bone candlesticks late 17th century

each with a circular foot surrounded by eight rings interspersed with florettes, the narrow banded stem punctuated with another eight ringed platform, two cage-form spheres centered by a ring of six upturned and six downturned flowers on stems, two similar rings of floral stems above, the lower with four downturned, the upper with six upturned, the candle socket rising from a circular platform surrounded by ten flat rings and circumscribed by a fence, the socket gradually flaring and decorated with shallow bands; the foot of each with two blue bordered inventory tags, one with "2633," the other with "44."

Sotheby's, Collection of the Margraves of Baden, Baden-Baden, October 5-21, 1995, lot 309

Please note the heading for this lot should read "A pair of South German turned ivory and bone candlesticks, late 17th century." Several small circular elements within larger circular elements (foot and discs above) are lacking. One downturned flower-head between cage-forms lacking. Several flower heads and stems reglued. Further losses to some tiny circles within circular disc surrounding nozzle. Some losses to ridge of points around base of nozzles. Otherwise with dirt, surface abrasions, and scattered small losses throughout.
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.

An ivory beaker from the Danish Royal Kunstkammer at Rosenborg castle in Copenhagen bears a cover surmounted by a distinctive narrow finial, possibly associated, which is similar in design to the present candlesticks, incorporating a ring of horizontal pierced discs, and a spherical cage-form knop (Gundestrup 1991, p. 259, no. D194).  A tour de force in a wooden case of similar design was published by Kunstkammer Georg Laue (Laue 2004, p. 72, no. 16).  Similar forms can be seen in the 1719 catalogue of Nicolas de Serviere's turning cabinet (see Maurice 1985, p. 112, no. 123).  The present pair are remarkable in that they take the form of the astonishingly thin, seemingly weightless turned ivory tours de force, but also maintain a practical function as candlesticks. 

The 18th century inventory of the Kunstkammer of the Margravate Baden-Durlach in Basel lists the present candlesticks as: Allerhand Artificialia: 4.5. Zwei Lichtstöck von Bein Geißlinger Arbeit.  The 1859 inventory of the Grand Duchy Baden ("Das inventar der sog. Kunstkammer") has the pair as numbers 345 and 346. Two paper labels bear numbers representing unidentified inventories of the Margraves of Baden: "2633" and "44."  See Sotheby's, Die Sammlung der Markgrafen und Grosshersöge von Baden, Baden-Baden, October 5-21, 1995 for a detailed discussion of the collections and inventories.