ANTIQUE 19thC GERMAN HANAU PAIR OF SOLID SILVER CANDELABRAS

Antique 19th Century European pair of five light solid silver candelabras in the nineteenth Century revival taste, combining Neo Classical and Baroque influences. The architectural diagonal base is richly decorated with portrait medallions, acanthus borders and scrolling ornament, while the elaborate central column supports boldly curved arms terminating in urn shaped sconces.

Particularly striking are the winged griffin supports beneath the central body, adding a dramatic sculptural quality associated with Victorian and Second Empire decorative arts. The mixture of classical motifs, heavy cast decoration and symmetrical form reflects the eclectic historicism popular across Continental Europe during the late nineteenth century. Hallmarked with German silver pseudo marks. 

Pseudo hallmarks from Germany are imitation silver marks used mainly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to resemble official British or European assay marks. Commonly associated with makers in Hanau, these fantasy marks were applied to decorative silver to give the appearance of age, quality, or prestige, although they were not official hallmarks.

Reference Number: J12120