Pair of Ming Noh dogs mounted as Regence candelabras

Pair of Ming or early Qing dynasty (circa 1644 or shortly thereafter) Noh dogs, made in the imperial porcelain production workshops of China. These chimerical figures were later imported to Europe by one of the East India Companies that had been operating in Europe since the first half of the 17th century.

These dogs were then acquired by a merchant-merchant who, at the dawn of the 18th century, had them mounted in gilded bronze by a Parisian bronzier who worked here in a transitional taste, between the Louis XIV style (shape of the bobèches) and the emerging rocaille taste (irregularities of the curvilinear arms).

These candelabras were made around the time of the Regency, in the years 1710-1730, and are one of the very few examples of Chinese white mounts. Very few examples are known, one of the most famous being the Kangxi Chinese white covered pot mounted in silver for the father of Jean-Baptiste de Machault d'Arnouville, Lieutenant-General of the Paris police force during the Regency.

Size (H x W x D) : 37 x 15 x 8 cm.
A partly broken ear completed by a skillful and discreet restoration.