Lot 237 Dα

These two candelabra formed part of the silver toilet set made for the wedding of Maria Letizia Eugénie Catherine Adélaïde Bonaparte (1866 - 1926) to Prince Amadeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta, in 1888. Maria Letitia was the daughter of Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte, called Napoléon-Jérôme (1822 - 1891), nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, and his wife Marie Clothilde of Savoy (1843 - 1911), daughter of the Italian King Vittorio Emmanuele II. The idea to make a service "in the style of Louis XV" came from the princess's friends. The set consisted of ten pieces: a mirror supported by an eagle with outstretched wings and surmounted by a crown with the princess's initials, the two eagle candlesticks, four large boxes, two round platters and a jardinière, all with matching decoration. The two Parisian goldsmiths Lucien Falize and Germain Bapst actually managed to deliver the service to Turin within five weeks, just in time for the deadline on 10 September 1888. The service was so spectacular that it was published in the “Gazette des Beaux-Arts” and the “Revue des Arts Décoratifs”. “Queen” magazine also wrote on October 15th 1888: “The toilet service of Princess Loetitia is worthy a place with historical art work, not only on account of its richness and exquisite workmanship, but of a tour de force achieved by the artists, that is, a combination of the Louis XV rocaille style in its most graceful mood and the rigid severity of the Napoleonic eagles (…) Nothing can be imagined more graceful or in better taste than the low oval jardinière placed before the looking glass upon the toilet table. The bright parterre of delicate flowers is a charming accessory, and looks like the interference of love softening the cold, dazzling brilliance of the massive silver-gilt frame. The king of birds is represented in various attitudes - now triumphant, now heraldic, now decorative - his raison d´être harmoniously proportioned to the design of each object.”
When Lucien Falize was asked in 1892 what object he would supply for the exhibition “Arts de la Femme”, he immediately thought of this work, being as it was commissioned by women for a woman, but Princess Letizia did not want to part with the service even for a few days.
At the time he received the order, Lucien Falize (1839 - 1897) was at the height of his career. He had been collaborating closely with Germain Bapst (1853 – 1921), the son of the court jeweller Alfred Bapst, since 1878. The two signed a contract as partners on 16 June 1880, and in 1882 they moved into joint studios and a store at 6 Rue d'Antin, near the Opéra. In the following years, they received many orders for jewellery and table decorations from numerous members of the European aristocracy, including Queen Victoria, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria, the future Queen of Romania, and finally, in 1895, from Tzar Nicholas II. They also produced spectacular objects for the decorative arts exhibitions and world fairs popular during the era. The two goldsmiths had an extensive network of artists and manufactures with whom they collaborated, from the Orfèvrerie Christofle to the enamellists Lucien Hirtz, Paul Grandhomme and Alfred-Jean Garnier, and the glass artist Emile Gallé.