Pair of Silvered Copper Hurricane Glass Régence Candlesticks

Silvered copper, silver, glass.
France.
Early 18th century.
h. 18,9 in.

Pair of Regency hurricane candlesticks, resting on a silvered baluster stem : significant traces of silver plating are visible on the stem, despite a later refurbishing of the silver.

Often referred to as flambeaux de jardin (French for garden candlesticks), hurricane candlesticks are a type of candleholder designed to protect the flame of the candle from the wind. They were once used to illuminate terraces and gardens, both in summer and winter.

Hurricane candlesticks of this type were crafted in France from the late 17th century through the Regency (1715-1723). A similar pair of hurricane candlesticks, dated to the 17th century and formerly in the collections of Hubert de Givenchy, served as a basis for designer David Hicks in the 1960s, who then produced many variants based on the late 17th century original. The age and wear of the silvering, the irregularities in the casting of the copper and the blowing of the glass, as well as the screwing of the stem, all indicate that these hurricane candlesticks are not the model produced by David Hicks in the 20th century, but an authentic pair of Regency period flambeaux de jardin. They can thus be compared to a pair of hurricane lamps from the Wrightsman Collection, dating to the Louis XIV period (175 A,B).

Sources

Sir Francis John Bagott Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, vol. 1-2, New York, 1966.