Pair of candlesticks (part of a set)
Nicolas François Foulon French
Pair of candlesticks with turned shafts and octagonal bases carved with scrolling acanthus leaves and floral motifs typical for a group of objects made in Nancy, eastern France. The very fine-grained cherry wood, known as “bois de Sainte Lucie,” grew in a nearby forest. Named for the patron saint of the Lorraine region, this type of fruitwood was appreciated for its reddish-brown color and its pleasant smell reminiscent of cinnamon. Furthermore, it lent itself beautifully to carving often in intricate patterns resembling goldsmith work.
These candlesticks would have been part of a larger dressing-table set which would also have included a mirror, a series of different boxes, brushes, and a pincushion. The use of “bois de Sainte Lucie” for dressing-table sets was stimulated by Louis XIV’s sumptuary edicts of 1689 and 1709, which caused much French silver to be melted down.
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