Pair of Antique Black Forest Wooden Hand Carved Epergne Holders / Candle Sticks with Handles - c.1800s - French Antique Furnishing - AQ1/25

An amazing pair of hand carved wooden black forest candlesticks or 'epergne' from the eighteen hundreds or earlier. The pair depict opposing birds; as they are hand carved, they are not exactly the same. Made from a mid-brown close grained wood that is not weighty, they have been stained and also darkened over the years until they are dark brown in colour. The hand carving is detailed and the birds have each been sculpted on a mound from a single piece of wood and the simple round turned base then attached with two large screws. The birds stand in front of a shrub which has been cleverly fashioned to include a handle between the leaves and the trunk, so they can be moved from room to room; the trunk itself forms the recess for a candle. At the time they were carved, the handle would be extremely important, as candles were not simply for decoration and atmosphere as they often are today.

The feathers on the birds are beautifully marked out, carrying on right down the long tail. One bird has a stubby beak - this appears to be intentional and part of the original carving. Each bird stands on a mound in front of the shrub and the carving continues all the way around the figures. Each has a thin crack in the mound at the back which does not go through, nor does it reach to the bottom of the sculpture. There is a tiny short crack on the front of the mound of one and also a thin strip missing from the back of that base. These are probably due to modern central heating drying the wood too quickly so it would be important to ensure some humidity in their new home. As antiques wooden sculptures of over 200 years of age they are in remarkably good condition.

They stand at 8.5" or 22cm high with a round diameter of 5" or 12.5cm. The pair together with no packaging weigh just over half a kilo (501 grammes).

Your purchase will be carefully packed in recycled wrapping where possible and despatched via 'AnPost', the from our home on the wild Atlantic way here in Ireland. 
**** THE PRICE INCLUDES WORLDWIDE TRACKED SHIPPING ****

INCLUSIVE PRICE 395 EUROS