Rare 18th Century French Pewter Huguenot Pushup Socket Candlestick Circa 1720
Item History & Price
Extremely rare early 18th century French pewter Huguenot push-upsocket candlestick, circa 1720We purchase collections of Continental lighting, metalwork, ceramics, glass & textiles, enabling me to offer a quantity of rareantiques. Please register my store/page in your favorites, for a fine range of 14th to 19th century period metalwork, lighting& other pieces, all guaranteed, as to age, condition & origin. Ihave far more than I can possibly keep up with, as to eBay – and,... internationalbuyers cannot otherwise "see" pieces listed on eBay UK. Text, formatting & images © 2019 – R. JosefBurdett-Williamson – all rights reserved.Breveté, 2019, par M. R. Josef Burdett-Williamson. ATTENTION – défense de reproduction ! We are veryserious, as to Intellectual Property rights – any violations are reported toeBay,
and our Intellectual Properties attorneys in Leeds & Paris. Please readall my terms of sale carefully!I request your understanding in case of delays due to:extremeweather, health, or computer problems.Elly BurdettThis is in France.Pieces in the group photo are for scale.You are only buying the featuredcandlestick.Free collection by appt. is possible:my collections & some of Elly’s many new arrivals can be viewed. Please note: For those not familiar with my eBay store, you are dealing with 2different people in England & France. I’m an antiques dealer, & exhibitat UK antiques shows; my associate in France is an expat American historian ofEuropean Decorative Arts & guest museum curator, with 44 years of advancedexperience.In both countries, we are frequently visited bycurators, collectors, dealers & auctioneers who buy: if you are seriously interested in any auction or BIN listing, do not wait – they end because they selldirectly to visitors. Auction pieces will not be ended, IF they have abid.eBay UK has very recently modified shippingconditions for professional sellers – from either country, the only way Ican conform is to list extended shipping times. If buyers are in a hurry toreceive purchases, please write – in many cases, antiques can be shipped within3 to 5 working days. Sincerely, ETBurdett Dear friends & clients: We have more Fine Arts & Antiques than we canbegin to keep up with, as to eBay – at least 4, 000 period pieces. I have recently been seriously ill – shipping delays were unavoidable. Group photos will give you a slightidea of the depth of my collections, and Elly's inventory - keep watching thispage. R. Josef Protestantism in Europe officially beganjust over five hundred years ago on Toussaintin France – All Saints Day (in 1516or 1517 - accounts vary), when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to thefront doors of All Saints' Church(Wittenberg), on the 31st ofOctober. In 1572, overwhelmingly Catholic France erupted in a bloody response –the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre ofAugust 24th – it actually continued for two months, saw the murders of morethan 100, 000 French Huguenots/Calvinists, and triggered the first majorProtestant exodus.Henri IV issued the official toleranceof the Edict of Nantes in 1598; an uneasy peace existed, until Louis the 14thbegan an aggressive campaign of conversion, with missionaries and financialrewards, escalating to penalties, closed schools, and eviction from trades.This was followed by the armed invasion and looting of homes. In 1685, Louisthe 14th revoked the Edict of Nantes in declaring Protestantismillegal, which launched a flight of Huguenot refugees en masse.This extremely rare candlestick is verysimilar to the most classic French Huguenot push-up candlestick in brass – I’vehandled at least 60, and seen more – they have a truly remarkable level ofconsistency, as to both form and details of fabrication. Their ejector tabs areof two types; the lozenge shape (or veryrarely, a heart variation); and turned knobs such as this, not dissimilar tothose found on Louis Philippe period (circa 1840) candlesticks.As a result, one has to be extremelycareful of examples with round brass knobs - they have often beensubstituted with those from later candlesticks – but in this case, the extremerarity of pewter examples rules this out. The feet also have two variations –those that are completely round (no rim decoration), and extremely rare – I’veonly seen two, one of which is in my collection – they are more usually round, but with poly-lobed rims. One of the four earliest brass examples I know of wassold by Elly last year (a plain round foot that was not poly-lobed), as was asimilar, but nearly unique example in pewter – like this! Several others are inmy own collection – they are particularly well-suited for parking my primarylighting passion – early Continental lamps – see the stunning and diminuitiveLouis XIV period peg lamp to the far right in photo # 2. The pewter on this isquite soft, as it should be, and what is not too clear in the photos is thatthe underside of the foot was not spun on a lathe. Cast round feet aretypical of earlier French pewter – I own at least three 16th century French pewterlamps in my extensive lighting collection, and all have cast bases that werenever turned. French pewter candlesticks with threaded bases are more often therule – I’ve handled several earlier Louis 14th pewter candlestickswith poly-lobed bases that were all similarly constructed. The interior push-upmechanism is a copper alloy, which I’ve never seen on any brass Huguenotpush-up candlesticks – all have been iron. As can be seen in photos 9 & 11, both the ejector shaft and the threaded pin on the ejector knob have beenrestored, but this is only visible when the candlestick has been disassembled.The wealth and depth of range in bothformal & rustic French lighting, from the Middle Ages to the 20thcentury, exceeds that of any other country. No single reference book has yet toeven come close to capturing this vast diversity – the best effort to date isthe 480-page, landmark 1933 work on lighting by G. Henriot, ENCYCLOPEDIEDU LUMINAIRE – Formes et Decors Apparentes (rare, out of print, & nevertranslated – we're lucky enough to own copies). Another major source is Henry d’Allemagne’simportant HISTOIRE DU LUMINAIRE (Paris, 1891).Several varieties of early brass push-upcandlesticks exist in France – most are referred to within the country as beingHuguenot, and like helical treen & iron wine cave candlesticks, generallyappear in Normandy. This may well relate to not only the presence of sheet ironwedding band hog-scraper candlesticks in France, but very possibly their French origin – this has yet to be researched. Bands on brass examples (mostly from my collection), in comparison to the brass “wedding band”sheet iron push-up “hog-scraper” candlestick (usually perceived as beingAnglo-American) are very similar – we have found about 20 “wedding band” ‘sticksin France, and considerably more of their later, less-exotic sheet ironcousins, with simple round feet and no bands. Brass ‘sticks of this form areadditionally referred to as being of Normandy origin, and this did indeed comefrom there. I've never seen one brass candlestick ofthis form with a seamed shaft, which is usually an argument for them pre-datingabout 1720.Vast numbers of Huguenots fled to theChannel Islands & Britain in the 17th & early 18th century – Louis the 14th’s personalapothecary was a Huguenot who left France, due to the increasing persecution.So did the French Cévenole Valleys camisards - “The French Prophets” – (toLondon, in 1706); and, as confirmed tome by Brother Arnold Hadd of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community, led to thefounding the Shakers. Louis the 14th’s apothecary absconded with themajorly important French Royal bronze mortar (it takes 3 people to lift) – itis now, somewhat controversially, in London – and French Huguenot silversmithswent on to produce some of the most important works of 18th century Britain.French Huguenot pewter chalices weregenerally lacking in ecclesiastical motifs – I sold a pair to the CévenoleValleys Museum curator several years ago. In an odd reversal during the FrenchRevolution, Catholic pewter chalices were made in the clandestine form of awhale oil lamp, with a peg lamp removable from the center – we collectively ownseveral, and Elly will be offering 1 or 2 for sale. We do the vast majority of our antiques buying on the Continent, largely inFrance, but have substantially expanded our horizons in Belgium, Holland, Germany and Italy, where we now purchase & trade with numerouscollector/dealers. We spend summers buying on the road in Western Europe, andwill be offering many more fine &rare antiques, to be shipped from both France and England. We are independently listed with theNew England Appraisers Association, for France or the UK.Condition: as described, and as-seen in the photos. The threading is tight; the pewter is is slightly more cleaned than some would wish, but has no restoration, and there are a few very minor surface scrapes and dings. Note: Photos are high resolution – use magnification forviewing details. Please ask, if you wish more.© R. Josef Burdett-Williamson Certified expert & appraiser, New England AppraisersAssociation.Founding Trustee, New Bedford Museum ofGlass.Height – 7 & 7/8”(20 cm.): foot diameter – 4 & 3/8”(11.1 cm.). Weight – 420 grams, not including packagingInsuredshipping within France is 9 Euros; to the UK & EU is 16 Euros – to NorthAmerica is 28 Euros.We don't charge for packing & handling, & always offer grouped rate posting, with no time limits.We ship from both France & the UK– please read listings carefully – rates& conditions are substantially different.Important!We usually mailwithin 3 to 7 working days from clearance of payment: but request that buyers be understanding of delays due to illness, severe weather, or computer problems: this is strictly a small business, with noemployees! Intolerantbuyers, or those leaving less than 5-star feedback (no longer invisible) willbe black-listed. This is not a "decorator"shop - eBay’s Consumer Goods-generated “Hassle-free returns” policy does notapply to arbitrary whim, or unqualified opinion! Returns are accepted - if: there is a major problem with the age, condition ororigin of a piece as described; and this is confirmed by a qualified expert with professional credentials.Copyright violations, defamation, or attempts at fraud will be dealt with in a legal manner, in NorthAmerica, the UK, or France.Photographs of anyalleged damage are required - they are mandatory for insurance claims.What you pay for shippingis our actual cost – despite lowered fuel costs, international shipping is stupidlyexpensive - we have absolutely no control over rates – and even so, lose 4% to PayPal, and often absorb extra costs, such as double-boxing.International buyers – please inquire, as to mailing costs!Note:Our independent certifications withthe New England Appraisers Association (in both France & England) expedite Customsclearances, and prevent duties being incorrectly imposed on antiques conformingto the 100 years legal dateline, thus saving buyers 10% to 43% in relevant countries. From France, the postalsystem is fast, efficient, flexible, & based on weight; rates haverecently changed, but often remain less than those of the UK. Up to 2 kilos to North America costs 36Euros; up to 5 kilos to North America costs 53 Euros; up to 10 kilosis 100 Euros, & 20 kilos is 160 Euros – plus 1 Euro per 100 Euros insurance coverage, to a maximumof 1, 000 Euros. Buyers can lowercosts on grouped purchases, depending on the size of the parcel, &insurance coverage - several pieces in one parcel are usually lessexpensive, as to per-item shipping cost – but do ask first!From the UK - Royal Mail can only be used for internationalparcels under 2kilos; measuring less than 90 centimeters total, and with a maximum insurance value of £250 (a recent, &exceedingly dumb decision): FedEx or UPS shipping is largelyvolumetric – the cost of sending a 5-kilo parcel is only marginally higher than1 or 2 kilos – 5 kilos toNorth America can be as little as £50 - versus £28 to £32 for 1 kilo – depending on the size of the parcel, & insurance coverage. Buyers can usually lower shippingcosts on grouped purchases – but again, please ask first. Payments:PayPal, French or UK checks, or bank drafts, & all banktransfers accepted. We areobliged to accept PayPal, but prefer bank transfers, or UK or French checks -PayPal takes a 4% bite out of all transactions - including shipping costs.Please feel free to contact us for grouped rates, andcommissioned, or guided buying in France - including partial or completecontainers, with related services. For period furniture (which we also collect, buy & sell) & other bulk shipping from France to Western Europe &the UK, we can arrange low-cost transport (depending on destination) via bonded& insured shippers.My business associate is an expatriate American historian ofDecorative Arts, a published antiques editor & writer, guest curator, certified appraiser, & internationally respected authority in early glass, lighting, metalwork, sculpture, period furniture & other categories. He hasplaced pieces with French & US museums, including the Smithsonian, &assists me with acquisitions, research & texts. You can buy from me, withconfidence in your purchases. We are separate and private, academic collectors, looking to defray the costs of advancing with our own collections. R. Josef is the only EuropeanDecorative Arts specialist for the NewEngland Appraisers Association residing in theEuropean Union, and is available for expertise or arbitration. We areindependently listed with the New EnglandAppraisers Association, forFrance or the UK – or see my professional contact details, as provided beneath eBayUK listings. ET BurdettDear buyers – apologies for the intrusive copyrightlines, but they are there because R. Josef is an extensively published expertwith ongoing academic & commercial commissions, including forthcomingbooks. Listings often contain original research & information that has notappeared before; several British & Continental eBay sellers have beenreported for plagiarizing formatting & texts. Theiraccounts were canceled – we fiercely protectour Intellectual Property rights – and in court, when necessary.
00083
and our Intellectual Properties attorneys in Leeds & Paris. Please readall my terms of sale carefully!I request your understanding in case of delays due to:extremeweather, health, or computer problems.Elly BurdettThis is in France.Pieces in the group photo are for scale.You are only buying the featuredcandlestick.Free collection by appt. is possible:my collections & some of Elly’s many new arrivals can be viewed. Please note: For those not familiar with my eBay store, you are dealing with 2different people in England & France. I’m an antiques dealer, & exhibitat UK antiques shows; my associate in France is an expat American historian ofEuropean Decorative Arts & guest museum curator, with 44 years of advancedexperience.In both countries, we are frequently visited bycurators, collectors, dealers & auctioneers who buy: if you are seriously interested in any auction or BIN listing, do not wait – they end because they selldirectly to visitors. Auction pieces will not be ended, IF they have abid.eBay UK has very recently modified shippingconditions for professional sellers – from either country, the only way Ican conform is to list extended shipping times. If buyers are in a hurry toreceive purchases, please write – in many cases, antiques can be shipped within3 to 5 working days. Sincerely, ETBurdett Dear friends & clients: We have more Fine Arts & Antiques than we canbegin to keep up with, as to eBay – at least 4, 000 period pieces. I have recently been seriously ill – shipping delays were unavoidable. Group photos will give you a slightidea of the depth of my collections, and Elly's inventory - keep watching thispage. R. Josef Protestantism in Europe officially beganjust over five hundred years ago on Toussaintin France – All Saints Day (in 1516or 1517 - accounts vary), when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to thefront doors of All Saints' Church(Wittenberg), on the 31st ofOctober. In 1572, overwhelmingly Catholic France erupted in a bloody response –the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre ofAugust 24th – it actually continued for two months, saw the murders of morethan 100, 000 French Huguenots/Calvinists, and triggered the first majorProtestant exodus.Henri IV issued the official toleranceof the Edict of Nantes in 1598; an uneasy peace existed, until Louis the 14thbegan an aggressive campaign of conversion, with missionaries and financialrewards, escalating to penalties, closed schools, and eviction from trades.This was followed by the armed invasion and looting of homes. In 1685, Louisthe 14th revoked the Edict of Nantes in declaring Protestantismillegal, which launched a flight of Huguenot refugees en masse.This extremely rare candlestick is verysimilar to the most classic French Huguenot push-up candlestick in brass – I’vehandled at least 60, and seen more – they have a truly remarkable level ofconsistency, as to both form and details of fabrication. Their ejector tabs areof two types; the lozenge shape (or veryrarely, a heart variation); and turned knobs such as this, not dissimilar tothose found on Louis Philippe period (circa 1840) candlesticks.As a result, one has to be extremelycareful of examples with round brass knobs - they have often beensubstituted with those from later candlesticks – but in this case, the extremerarity of pewter examples rules this out. The feet also have two variations –those that are completely round (no rim decoration), and extremely rare – I’veonly seen two, one of which is in my collection – they are more usually round, but with poly-lobed rims. One of the four earliest brass examples I know of wassold by Elly last year (a plain round foot that was not poly-lobed), as was asimilar, but nearly unique example in pewter – like this! Several others are inmy own collection – they are particularly well-suited for parking my primarylighting passion – early Continental lamps – see the stunning and diminuitiveLouis XIV period peg lamp to the far right in photo # 2. The pewter on this isquite soft, as it should be, and what is not too clear in the photos is thatthe underside of the foot was not spun on a lathe. Cast round feet aretypical of earlier French pewter – I own at least three 16th century French pewterlamps in my extensive lighting collection, and all have cast bases that werenever turned. French pewter candlesticks with threaded bases are more often therule – I’ve handled several earlier Louis 14th pewter candlestickswith poly-lobed bases that were all similarly constructed. The interior push-upmechanism is a copper alloy, which I’ve never seen on any brass Huguenotpush-up candlesticks – all have been iron. As can be seen in photos 9 & 11, both the ejector shaft and the threaded pin on the ejector knob have beenrestored, but this is only visible when the candlestick has been disassembled.The wealth and depth of range in bothformal & rustic French lighting, from the Middle Ages to the 20thcentury, exceeds that of any other country. No single reference book has yet toeven come close to capturing this vast diversity – the best effort to date isthe 480-page, landmark 1933 work on lighting by G. Henriot, ENCYCLOPEDIEDU LUMINAIRE – Formes et Decors Apparentes (rare, out of print, & nevertranslated – we're lucky enough to own copies). Another major source is Henry d’Allemagne’simportant HISTOIRE DU LUMINAIRE (Paris, 1891).Several varieties of early brass push-upcandlesticks exist in France – most are referred to within the country as beingHuguenot, and like helical treen & iron wine cave candlesticks, generallyappear in Normandy. This may well relate to not only the presence of sheet ironwedding band hog-scraper candlesticks in France, but very possibly their French origin – this has yet to be researched. Bands on brass examples (mostly from my collection), in comparison to the brass “wedding band”sheet iron push-up “hog-scraper” candlestick (usually perceived as beingAnglo-American) are very similar – we have found about 20 “wedding band” ‘sticksin France, and considerably more of their later, less-exotic sheet ironcousins, with simple round feet and no bands. Brass ‘sticks of this form areadditionally referred to as being of Normandy origin, and this did indeed comefrom there. I've never seen one brass candlestick ofthis form with a seamed shaft, which is usually an argument for them pre-datingabout 1720.Vast numbers of Huguenots fled to theChannel Islands & Britain in the 17th & early 18th century – Louis the 14th’s personalapothecary was a Huguenot who left France, due to the increasing persecution.So did the French Cévenole Valleys camisards - “The French Prophets” – (toLondon, in 1706); and, as confirmed tome by Brother Arnold Hadd of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community, led to thefounding the Shakers. Louis the 14th’s apothecary absconded with themajorly important French Royal bronze mortar (it takes 3 people to lift) – itis now, somewhat controversially, in London – and French Huguenot silversmithswent on to produce some of the most important works of 18th century Britain.French Huguenot pewter chalices weregenerally lacking in ecclesiastical motifs – I sold a pair to the CévenoleValleys Museum curator several years ago. In an odd reversal during the FrenchRevolution, Catholic pewter chalices were made in the clandestine form of awhale oil lamp, with a peg lamp removable from the center – we collectively ownseveral, and Elly will be offering 1 or 2 for sale. We do the vast majority of our antiques buying on the Continent, largely inFrance, but have substantially expanded our horizons in Belgium, Holland, Germany and Italy, where we now purchase & trade with numerouscollector/dealers. We spend summers buying on the road in Western Europe, andwill be offering many more fine &rare antiques, to be shipped from both France and England. We are independently listed with theNew England Appraisers Association, for France or the UK.Condition: as described, and as-seen in the photos. The threading is tight; the pewter is is slightly more cleaned than some would wish, but has no restoration, and there are a few very minor surface scrapes and dings. Note: Photos are high resolution – use magnification forviewing details. Please ask, if you wish more.© R. Josef Burdett-Williamson Certified expert & appraiser, New England AppraisersAssociation.Founding Trustee, New Bedford Museum ofGlass.Height – 7 & 7/8”(20 cm.): foot diameter – 4 & 3/8”(11.1 cm.). Weight – 420 grams, not including packagingInsuredshipping within France is 9 Euros; to the UK & EU is 16 Euros – to NorthAmerica is 28 Euros.We don't charge for packing & handling, & always offer grouped rate posting, with no time limits.We ship from both France & the UK– please read listings carefully – rates& conditions are substantially different.Important!We usually mailwithin 3 to 7 working days from clearance of payment: but request that buyers be understanding of delays due to illness, severe weather, or computer problems: this is strictly a small business, with noemployees! Intolerantbuyers, or those leaving less than 5-star feedback (no longer invisible) willbe black-listed. This is not a "decorator"shop - eBay’s Consumer Goods-generated “Hassle-free returns” policy does notapply to arbitrary whim, or unqualified opinion! Returns are accepted - if: there is a major problem with the age, condition ororigin of a piece as described; and this is confirmed by a qualified expert with professional credentials.Copyright violations, defamation, or attempts at fraud will be dealt with in a legal manner, in NorthAmerica, the UK, or France.Photographs of anyalleged damage are required - they are mandatory for insurance claims.What you pay for shippingis our actual cost – despite lowered fuel costs, international shipping is stupidlyexpensive - we have absolutely no control over rates – and even so, lose 4% to PayPal, and often absorb extra costs, such as double-boxing.International buyers – please inquire, as to mailing costs!Note:Our independent certifications withthe New England Appraisers Association (in both France & England) expedite Customsclearances, and prevent duties being incorrectly imposed on antiques conformingto the 100 years legal dateline, thus saving buyers 10% to 43% in relevant countries. From France, the postalsystem is fast, efficient, flexible, & based on weight; rates haverecently changed, but often remain less than those of the UK. Up to 2 kilos to North America costs 36Euros; up to 5 kilos to North America costs 53 Euros; up to 10 kilosis 100 Euros, & 20 kilos is 160 Euros – plus 1 Euro per 100 Euros insurance coverage, to a maximumof 1, 000 Euros. Buyers can lowercosts on grouped purchases, depending on the size of the parcel, &insurance coverage - several pieces in one parcel are usually lessexpensive, as to per-item shipping cost – but do ask first!From the UK - Royal Mail can only be used for internationalparcels under 2kilos; measuring less than 90 centimeters total, and with a maximum insurance value of £250 (a recent, &exceedingly dumb decision): FedEx or UPS shipping is largelyvolumetric – the cost of sending a 5-kilo parcel is only marginally higher than1 or 2 kilos – 5 kilos toNorth America can be as little as £50 - versus £28 to £32 for 1 kilo – depending on the size of the parcel, & insurance coverage. Buyers can usually lower shippingcosts on grouped purchases – but again, please ask first. Payments:PayPal, French or UK checks, or bank drafts, & all banktransfers accepted. We areobliged to accept PayPal, but prefer bank transfers, or UK or French checks -PayPal takes a 4% bite out of all transactions - including shipping costs.Please feel free to contact us for grouped rates, andcommissioned, or guided buying in France - including partial or completecontainers, with related services. For period furniture (which we also collect, buy & sell) & other bulk shipping from France to Western Europe &the UK, we can arrange low-cost transport (depending on destination) via bonded& insured shippers.My business associate is an expatriate American historian ofDecorative Arts, a published antiques editor & writer, guest curator, certified appraiser, & internationally respected authority in early glass, lighting, metalwork, sculpture, period furniture & other categories. He hasplaced pieces with French & US museums, including the Smithsonian, &assists me with acquisitions, research & texts. You can buy from me, withconfidence in your purchases. We are separate and private, academic collectors, looking to defray the costs of advancing with our own collections. R. Josef is the only EuropeanDecorative Arts specialist for the NewEngland Appraisers Association residing in theEuropean Union, and is available for expertise or arbitration. We areindependently listed with the New EnglandAppraisers Association, forFrance or the UK – or see my professional contact details, as provided beneath eBayUK listings. ET BurdettDear buyers – apologies for the intrusive copyrightlines, but they are there because R. Josef is an extensively published expertwith ongoing academic & commercial commissions, including forthcomingbooks. Listings often contain original research & information that has notappeared before; several British & Continental eBay sellers have beenreported for plagiarizing formatting & texts. Theiraccounts were canceled – we fiercely protectour Intellectual Property rights – and in court, when necessary.
00083
