Candlestick
Artist
Alexis Loir III
(French, 1712 - 1785)
Date1750-1752
MediumSilver and copper alloy
DimensionsOverall: 10 1/16 × 5 11/16 inches (25.56 × 14.45 cm)
Credit LineGift of Ralph T. Coe in memory of Saemy Rosenberg
Object number79-33/1 A,B
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionDelicately designed candlesticks each with wide, multi-tiered decorated base with swirling hump rising from center with, in middle of shaft, narrow tapered octagonal section with alternating decorative panels; above, alternating on exterior faces, a wider, rounded band embellished with four scallop shells, above, tapering to a narrow section as a base for the banded candle holders, with the same banding decorations as base and a wide, thin, circular wax drip guard uppermost.Gallery LabelUnder the rule of Louis XV, the Rococo style permeated the decorative arts with exuberant, fanciful curves and wildly asymmetrical designs. Although these candlesticks by Alexis Loir III are somewhat restrained, the shell motif, rounded forms and sinuous inscribed curves on the base all exhibit the influences of the Rococo fascination with naturalistic and fluid forms. Loir represents the third generation of a well-known French gold and silversmith family working in Paris beginning in the 17th century. Made a master silversmith in 1733, Loir was also an engraver, pastellist and sculptor. These elegant candlesticks continue the family's reputation for exquisitely crafted pieces. Manufactured with a higher silver content than sterling standard, these candlesticks have a slightly different color than the casters in this case.
Saemy Rosenberg (1892-1971), New York, by 1961;
His gift to Ralph T. Coe (1929-2010), Kansas City MO, 1961-1979;
His gift, in memory of Saemy Rosenberg, to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1979.
NOTES:
[1] According to Ross E. Taggart, Senior Curator, in a letter to Eric Stiebel, Rosenberg & Stiebel, Inc., October 12, 1979, Nelson-Atkins curatorial file, Rosenberg gave these candlesticks to Coe as a wedding present. Coe married Sarah Frances Foresman on August 5, 1961.
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