Pair of Candlesticks
1693 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This small, simple late 17th century candlestick is one of a pair and was probably made for domestic use. It is an excellent example of how illuminating goldsmiths' marks can be, when trying to find out more about the history of a piece of silver.
When this candlestick was first acquired by the Museum in 1926, the Toulouse town mark struck inside the foot (TOL/Y with a fleur-de-lys above) was identified as that for 1684-87. This was later revised to 1693-94 (a similar looking mark), since the candlestick bears two duty (tax) marks (L in the centre of four crowns, and M beneath a fleur-de-lys between two stars) that were not registered until 26 June 1688. These duty marks also tell us that the candlestick was made in 1693 not 1694 because the Toulouse goldsmiths' guild replaced them with new marks in September 1693. The maker's mark (G/BAR/RAV over the dove of the Holy Ghost) stands for Guillaume Barrau (1661-1706), who became a master goldsmith in Toulouse in 1685.
When this candlestick was first acquired by the Museum in 1926, the Toulouse town mark struck inside the foot (TOL/Y with a fleur-de-lys above) was identified as that for 1684-87. This was later revised to 1693-94 (a similar looking mark), since the candlestick bears two duty (tax) marks (L in the centre of four crowns, and M beneath a fleur-de-lys between two stars) that were not registered until 26 June 1688. These duty marks also tell us that the candlestick was made in 1693 not 1694 because the Toulouse goldsmiths' guild replaced them with new marks in September 1693. The maker's mark (G/BAR/RAV over the dove of the Holy Ghost) stands for Guillaume Barrau (1661-1706), who became a master goldsmith in Toulouse in 1685.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Silver |
| Brief description | Silver, Continental Silver, Continental |
| Physical description | Candlestick with baluster stem and circular moulded foot cast in several pieces, with 2 waisted sections, the whole plain and undecorated. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Inside base of foot: maker's mark G/BAR/RAV over the dove of the Holy Ghost for Guillaume Barrau (1661-1706), town mark TOL/Y with a fleur-de-lis above for Toulouse 1693-94, duty marks L in the centre of 4 crowns (duty mark of the Sieur Teverin registered 26 June 1688), M beneath a fleur-de-lis between two stars; other marks: Restricted warranty mark for the provinces current 10 May 1838 onwards |
| Gallery label | Silver Gallery:
When it is difficult to ascertain exactly the date of one mark, other marks struck on an object may help narrow the field. When this candlestick was first acquired by the Museum, the Toulouse town mark (TOL/Y with a fleur-de-lys above) was identified as that for 1684-87. This was later revised to 1693-4 (a similar looking mark), since the candlestick bears two duty (tax) marks (L in the centre of four crowns, and M beneath a fleur-de-lys between two stars) that were not registered until 26 June 1688. These duty marks also tell us that the candlestick was made in 1693 not 1694 because the Toulouse goldsmiths' guild replaced them with new marks in September 1693. The maker's mark (G/BAR/RAV over the dove of the Holy Ghost) stands for Guillaume Barrau (1661-1706), who became a master goldsmith in Toulouse in 1685.(26/11/2002) |
| Credit line | Lt. Col. G. B. Croft-Lyons Bequest |
| Object history | Croft-Lyons Bequest Barrau's career is amply related by M. Jean Thuile, who lists only three surviving pieces by this goldsmith, all dating from his last years. |
| Summary | This small, simple late 17th century candlestick is one of a pair and was probably made for domestic use. It is an excellent example of how illuminating goldsmiths' marks can be, when trying to find out more about the history of a piece of silver. When this candlestick was first acquired by the Museum in 1926, the Toulouse town mark struck inside the foot (TOL/Y with a fleur-de-lys above) was identified as that for 1684-87. This was later revised to 1693-94 (a similar looking mark), since the candlestick bears two duty (tax) marks (L in the centre of four crowns, and M beneath a fleur-de-lys between two stars) that were not registered until 26 June 1688. These duty marks also tell us that the candlestick was made in 1693 not 1694 because the Toulouse goldsmiths' guild replaced them with new marks in September 1693. The maker's mark (G/BAR/RAV over the dove of the Holy Ghost) stands for Guillaume Barrau (1661-1706), who became a master goldsmith in Toulouse in 1685. |
| Bibliographic reference | French Silver, RW Lightbown, HMSO, 1978 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.851A-1926 |
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| Record created | February 9, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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