Louis XV Meissen porcelain candlestick

A porcelain and gilt-bronze candlestick, its center adorned with a young girl holding her flowered apron up and wearing a light hat. She is surrounded by a magnificent naturalistic motif composed of finely colored porcelain flowers and gilt-bronze foliage. The entire piece is made of 18th-century Meissen porcelain on a typical Louis XV gilt-bronze rocaille base.

Small Saxon candlesticks are typical of the Rococo style, characterized by their asymmetrical and dynamic decoration, their bright and delicate colors, and the frequent presence of putti, gallant scenes, and exquisitely delicate flowers. The bases, often irregular, imitate rocks or shells, complementing these small sculptures, where the candlestick itself becomes almost secondary.

Louis XV period
Used condition
Total height: 22 cm.

In the 17th century, trade developed with the Orient, primarily from China, with fine porcelains that the West was unable to produce. The French East India Company, created at Colbert's instigation in 1664, greatly contributed to fueling the Western taste for this porcelain by having pieces made in China decorated according to French designs.

A certain Schnorr discovered the kaolin deposit at Aue in Saxony, 105 km southwest of Meissen, and sold it locally, notably for bleaching wigs, which Bottger's valet used in 1709. However, kaolin powder was heavier than the flour usually used. Bottger realized the difference, tested the powder in his laboratory, and thus discovered the existence of an accessible kaolin deposit in Europe. Augustus the Strong immediately took possession of the deposit, from which Bottger quickly obtained a hard, white, translucent porcelain[5], similar to Chinese and Japanese porcelain: this was the beginning of Saxon porcelain. He founded the Royal Meissen Manufactory in Meissen in 1710.

Ref: LASJX1WZ1I