Antwerp 1772, Petrus Hoffinger, Pair Of Louis XV Style Candlesticks In Solid Silver

A very elegant pair of Louis XV period twisted candlesticks in solid silver. In addition to hallmarks dating from the French occupation in the early nineteenth century, this pair bears the Antwerp city hallmark of 1772 and the maker's mark of one of the finest Antwerp goldsmiths of his time: Petrus Simon Joseph Hoffinger (1732-1772). This renowned artist was born in Brussels in 1732, the son of a haberdasher. He studied with the Jesuits at the Hoogstraten College in the Campine region. He began his apprenticeship with the Antwerp goldsmith Jean-Baptiste Melchior Buijsens and took drawing classes with the sculptor Michiel Vandervoort II and at the Academy of Fine Arts until 1751. During the years 1751-53, he was apprentice in Lille to the goldsmith François Joseph Baudoux. From 1753, he was apprentice in Paris, though sources do not specify with whom. In 1757, he was admitted to the guild of master goldsmiths in Antwerp. He also ran a drawing school there. His international experience and his elegant and original creations, imbued with the French Louis XV style, earned him great success with Antwerp clients, as his works can be found in countless churches, museums, and private collections in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1772, the year of his death, no fewer than 13 apprentices and journeymen were recorded in his workshop. Remaining a bachelor, his brother Jean-Baptiste took over the workshop. The candlesticks I am offering for sale here are entirely representative of his work. They follow the Rococo style of his region, but he adds his personal touch with a more original and lighter design than most of his contemporaries. He also includes empty cartridges for engraving a coat of arms, initials or a design on the base of the torches.