They were guided at $100,000-150,000.
Jennifer Kurtz, head of the saleroom’s decorative arts department, said the description of the candelabra as monumental was quite deliberate.
“The size and scale of these candelabra are impressive at 2ft 8in (80cm) in height and over 760 troy ounces in weight,” she said. “But more than just the size, the details of the decoration are incredibly ornate, with intricate foliate ornament overall down to the six lifelike claw feet.”
Detail from one of a pair of monumental Tiffany & Co sterling silver candelabra, $230,000 (£171,565) at John Moran.
Dating to c.1883, they were probably designed by Charles T Grosjean for either Cornelius Vanderbilt II or William K Vanderbilt. “As these candelabra were custom-made for the Vanderbilts, the large number of ‘lights’ may have been a specific request – a display of affluence at a time when the transition to electrical light was under way,” said Kurtz. “They are a quintessential example of the conspicuous consumption that defined the Gilded Age.”
Kurtz added: “While we don’t know where in the house the candelabra would have been placed, we can assume that they would have been a statement piece wherever they rested, be it the centre of a well-set formal dining table or on a Georgian giltwood console in front a pier mirror reflecting the light throughout the room.”
The pair had previously been sold at Sotheby’s and most recently passed through the dealer MS Rau in New Orleans.
Here at the auction on July 29 they drew a healthy measure of pre-sale interest, primarily from prospective bidders on the east coast of the United States. A private US collector bidding via phone defeated three other phone bidders and multiple absentee bidders to win the prize.
