Travel Candlesticks, Paris 1776, Sterling Silver, J.-b. Chéret

Extremely rare pair of travel candlesticks from the Louis XVI period in sterling silver by the hand of the famous master goldsmith Jean-Baptiste François Chéret (°1728-master1759+1809). They are of very high quality and nicely engraved with the count's coat of arms on the foot. They disassemble into three parts which made it possible to take them with you in a small travel kit. Each removable part of each candlestick is punched with the Paris hallmarks for the year 1776 and the master silversmith's hallmark. Jean-Baptiste Chéret was not only master goldsmith but also son, grandson, great-grandson, father and brother-in-law of master goldsmiths. He is a member of a long and prosperous dynasty of goldsmiths which will know its coronation by the ennoblement of his son by Louis XVIII. These candlesticks are the result of know-how passed from father to son for a century and a half and this can be seen in the subtle but high quality of execution. The pair weighs 410 grams.