Mons 1754-57, Torches With The Arms Of The Father Abbot Of Cambron, Count Leopold d'Ensclaibes, Silver

Extremely rare pair of candlesticks engraved with the arms of Count Leopold d'Ensclaibes (1699-1771), Abbot of the Cistercian Abbey of Notre-Dame de Cambron near Mons from 1745 until his death. After the suppression of the abbey by the Austrian Emperor Joseph II in 1783, the monks were expelled in 1786. They went into exile in the Netherlands. The suppression was canceled by the Brabant revolution of 1789 and the monks returned to live in the abbey completely stripped of its furniture and treasures. It was only a postponement because in 1797, the French revolutionary power also decided to suppress all religious communities and confiscate their property. Needless to say, it was only by a miracle that some art objects survived this relentless destruction. The buildings that survived all these revolutionary unrest are today part of the decor in the most beautiful zoo in Europe: Pairi Daiza. Our pair of candlesticks bears the hallmarks of the city of Mons for the year 1754 for one and 1757 for the other. Both are hallmarked with the master goldsmith's mark of Pierre-Joseph de Bettignies, official goldsmith of the very rich chapter Church of Sainte Waudru in Mons. They are in very good state of conservation.
The pair weighs 700 grammes