Antoine-Louis Barye French, 1796 - 1875

Overall in good condition with some light rubbing. Some surface dirt and light scratches consistent with use and age. New threaded rod hardware from top to bottom and visible in one candelabra to its upper part beneath the vase finial. Finials probably later and now with later metal pieces connecting to rod.
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.

Candelabrum of Nine Lights, a "masterpiece of decorative art," is the most ambitious and complex candelabrum created by Barye (Pivar, p. 30). It is the artist's first concerted foray into modeling the ideal female figure and reveals the influence of ancient classical sources and Renaissance art on his work.  There are less than 15 versions in existence, two of which are in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Louvre, Paris.

An undocumented source suggests that the candelabrum were intended as part of a garniture commissioned by the Duke of Montpensier circa 1840 to flank Roger Abducting Angelica on the Hippogriff (Poletti and Richarme, F23). Allegedly the Duke of Montpensier felt he needed to outdo the magnificent surtout de table Barye created for his younger brother, the Duke of Orléans. In 1846, Barye began working on the individual figural groups present in Candelabrum of Nine Lights.  A year later, the finished candelabrum appeared in his first catalogue.

On the main lower register of the candelabrum, the largest figures are the seated goddesses facing outward: Juno with a peacock, Venus (or Nereid) with Amor, and Minerva with a helmet, sword and owl. Benge notes: "The three goddesses considered as separate forms embody distinct changes in style, almost as a document of Barye's awareness of the key alternatives in the treatment of the ideal nude in sixteenth-century Italian art: from the classical, sensuous Minerva, to the more rigid, attenuated and stylized early Mannerist Juno, to the exaggerated figura serpentinata, the late Mannerist posture of Nereid" (p. 151). 

The central tier is occupied by three arched, squatting chimeras. Their grotesque physical forms are a foil to the idealized female nude figures of the graces and goddesses. In creating these three distinctive layers of figures, Barye forces the viewer's eye to remain for a moment on each unique grouping before moving to the next, drawing attention to the masterful detail present in each one. The resulting work of art - a nine figure candelabrum - is a dynamic and intricate masterwork by this important artist.