102. Paire de candélabres d'époque Louis XV, en porcelaine de Chine d'époque Qianlong (1736-1796) à motifs d'échassiers, à trois bras de lumière, ornementation de bronze doré, milieu du XVIIIe siècle A pair of Louis XV ormolu-mounted and Chinese Qianlong (1736-1796) porcelain wader birds three-branch candelabra, mid-18th century Each échassier resting on a naturalistic oval shaped blue decorated base issuing floral sprays and a trunk, surrounded by a branch-like berried foliate border issuing three scrolling branches with further conforming leaves and fruited berries, terminating in engraved foliate-shaped nozzles and drip-pans, 35cm wide, 19cm deep, 41cm high (13 1/2in wide, 7in deep, 16in high). Provenance: Collection of the Late Arnold Seligmann, sold Paris, 4-5 June 1935, lot 117; Collection P. et M. Jonas. With Gismondi, Paris, sold in February 1999 and thence by descent to the present owner The fashion for embellishing exotic and expensive Chinese porcelain into objets de luxe with the addition of rich ormolu mounts, reached its peak in the mid-18th century through the activities of the marchands-merciers such as Lazare Duvaux or Simon-Philippe Poirier. The Livre-Journal of Lazare Duvaux for 1751 notes that Madame de Pompadour paid the extraordinary sum of 1,680 livres for a pair of ormolu-mounted celadon ewers. The detail with which such rich objects were described in contemporary sale catalogues during the second half of the 18th century, in contrast to the more generalised descriptions of unmounted Chinese porcelain found in earlier inventories, demonstrates the importance of these objects. Arnold Seligmann From the collection of the famous art and antiquities dealer Arnold Seligmann (1871-1935). The gallery Jacques Seligmann & Co. moved from Rue de Sommerand to Place Vendôme and Arnold's two brothers, Jacques and Simon joined the business as partners. The celebrated gallerists went through a very favourable period at the beginning of the 20th century and the gallery was expanding its clientele among the most important art collectors of the time such as Edmond James de Rothschild, the Stroganov family, Benjamin Altman, William Randolph Hearst and J.P. Morgan. However, in 1912, a family quarrel resulted in a lawsuit that split the company. Arnold Seligmann remained the sole owner of the gallery in Place Vendôme which was then renamed Arnold Seligmann & Cie.