A PAIR OF RUSSIAN GILT-BRONZE MOUNTED MALACHITE FIVE-LIGHT CANDELABRA SECOND QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

This pair of candelabra is distinctively Russian not only on a stylistically foundation and for the use of the "national stone" but also for the quality of the gilt-bronze mounts. Master craftsmen working in malachite used the so-called technique 'Russian mosaic', whereby they would saw a piece of stone into small plaques from two to four millimeters, carefully selecting them for their pattern. After grinding and polishing the stone, they would then glue these pieces to the metal or stone base skillfully masking the edges between each plaque of malachite. The use of gilt bronze with malachite quickly became extremely popular both in Russia but also in France. A related example with identical nozzles and drip pans was sold Christie's London, 6 December 2007, lot 203.