Pair Of Silver Torches, Lille, 18th Century

A pair of sumptuous Louis XVI period solid silver candlesticks with their original bobeches. They bear the hallmarks of the Lille silver court for the year 1782-83. Each candlestick is hallmarked several times inside the socket and the foot. The nine-sided base is decorated with a row of leaves on a matte background, echoed on the contoured socket. The bowl is bordered with rows of fillets, also found on the collar. The cyma recta repeats the faceted motif of the base. The baluster-shaped stem, with ribs and facets, rises from a ribboned laurel wreath. The upper section is adorned with a cascading garland of leaves. The bobeches bear the small maker's mark. Like many of the works of the goldsmith Baudoux, they are of extraordinary quality and quite heavy. This goldsmith, with an exceptionally long career, is known for his prestigious production. Master goldsmith: François-Joseph BAUDOUX, admitted in 1738. Weight: 1035 g. Height: 30 cm. Base diameter: 14.2 cm. Small crack on one shaft (see additional photo). Literature: Reproduced and described in the work of Madame Nicole Cartier, Les orfèvres de Lille, Volume II, page 684, under number 349.