A pair of Chinese cloisonné enamelled elephants mounted as candelabra Late Qing, Jiaqing reign (1796-1820); the mounts French, circa 1870

each mounted on gilt-bronze bases with a six light candelabrum, supported on a vase-shaped howdah, the elephants' white body caparisoned with multi-coloured straps around the body and a blue ground saddlecloth with lotus motifs above a yellow apron 

Henry, Conde de Burnay (1838-1909)
Acquired by a descendant in the Condes de Burnay sale (Catalogo dos quadros, objectos de arte (…)  Palacio da Junqueira, 1936, lot 46
Thence by descent.

 

Henri Burnay, De Banqueiro a Coleccionador, Lisboa, Casa-Museu Anastacio Goncalves, 2003, Exhibition catalogue, (Giulia Rossi Vairo, cur.),  illustrated in situ in a photograph of a room in the palace pp. 48-49.

These impressive elephant candelabra have had their bronze parts regilded. There is small damage to the enamel of one foot. The ears have been re-attached as well as the ribbons by the vase. Marked several times LC on the underneath of base.
"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 impressive mounts on these Chinese elephants are in the Orientalist style popularized by ornamentists such as Edouard Lièvre and Louis-Constant Sévin (1821-1888), both Paris-based designers who worked closely with the foundry of Ferdinand Barbedienne.

The pedestal mounts are actually marked LC on the base which may possibly refer to the initial letters of Sevin’s name. He designed some of Barbedienne’s most important pieces from 1855, the year he started to work for the foundry as sculpteur – decorateur. He retained this position until his death in 1888.

Born in Lisbon in 1838, Henry Burnay became one of the most powerful businessmen in Portugal after setting up and expanding his banking business and developing huge interests in the tobacco industry and railways. He purchased the Palace of Junqueira in Lisbon and refurbished it with his always growing eclectic art collection. He was made count by King Dom Luís I in 1886.

His heirs sold his art collections after the death of his wife in a much publicized auction. The government not only purchased the palace but also many items for the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon. These elephants were listed in the catalogue and visible in one of the room shots of the palace.