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Lot Essay
These magnificent candelabra are a fine example of the rococo creations of Paul Storr, one of the most celebrated silversmiths of the nineteenth century. Of eighteenth-century Parisian origin, the rocaille style was inspired by natural forms and characterised by flowing lines and silhouettes. It spread rapidly across Europe, and interest in it persisted in England through the nineteenth century, when leading silversmiths of the day created works in revival of the rococo George II style. A notable comparison can be drawn between the present candelabra and a six-branch candelabrum by Storr dated to 1835 with very similar branches and illustrated in N. M. Penzer, Paul Storr The Last of the Goldsmiths, London, 1954, p. 232-3, plate LXXVII.
Storr worked at the beginning of his career in partnership with Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, in partnership with whom he created magnificent objects for some of the most important collections of the day, including the Royal Collection. After dissolving his partnership with that firm, Storr worked independently for patrons including the Crown and Lord Spencer, creating magnificent objects and table services in a largely antique-inspired, neoclassical style. The rococo strain of his work, however, is rarer and is here distinguished by the present elegant proportions and fine chasing.
Storr worked at the beginning of his career in partnership with Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, in partnership with whom he created magnificent objects for some of the most important collections of the day, including the Royal Collection. After dissolving his partnership with that firm, Storr worked independently for patrons including the Crown and Lord Spencer, creating magnificent objects and table services in a largely antique-inspired, neoclassical style. The rococo strain of his work, however, is rarer and is here distinguished by the present elegant proportions and fine chasing.