Fine Pair of Louis XVI Silver Candlesticks

Paris, 1779-1780, by Antoine Boullier (1749-1835, M.O. 1775), old standard (.958) silver, each of fluted and waisted baluster form with rais-de-coeur calyx and ribbon-and-laurel festooned capital, surmounted by a vasiform nozzle with gadrooned base and trisected by acanthus fronds, with gadrooned rim and fitted with a detachable bobeche en suite, all above a waisted domed fluted base with laurel banding; engraved on the nozzle with the arms of Combles de Naves impaling another (gueules aux croix enhendee d'or).
h. 10-1/2", dia. 5-3/4"; 43.18 total t. oz.

Notes: Antoine Boullier was born on January 30, 1749 in Chateauroux, the son of goldsmith Joseph Bouiller, with whom he was apprenticed. He finished his studies in Paris attending the Ecole Royale Gartuite de Dessin, where he won the Grand Prize in 1774; he was received as a master in the Paris guild the following year, on December 16, 1775. He established his workshop on the Place de Victoires, and quickly became a supplier to the heights of aristocracy; his clients included the Duc d'Orleans, the Court of St. Petersburg, George III of England and Thomas Jefferson (whose vegetable dishes purchased from Boullier during his years in France are still conserved at Monticello). He retired during the Revolution to become a farmer, but returned to his workshop during the Consulate, resuming his status as premier silversmith, suppling a tea set with Martin Guillaume Biennais for Napoleon I. He retired again around 1818, and died in Paris on January 19, 1835.

One bobeche has a repair around the join, with a small 1/2" split. One nozzle has two small (1/8" diameter) dents. Otherwise, in good condition, with no breaks or repairs noted and scattered wear consistent with age and use. Marks: M.O.: Antoine Boullier (AB + a tower) Charge: Fouache & Compat, 1774-1780 Jurande: Q, 1779-1780 Decharge: Fouache & Compat, 1774-1780 The first three marks are on the inside basal edge and inside the nozzle, the fourth on the outside; some rubbing but legible when taken together. One bobeche has worn, illegible marks on the sleeve, the other (the one with the repair) has none.