A Pair of Hessian Silver Candlesticks
Mark of Georg Martin Schnitzspahn, Grossherzoglicher Hofjuwelier
For the Grand Dukes of Hesse-Darmstadt
German, circa 1820
Each with a large circular drip pan, fully marked “Schnitzspahn” and with the Darmstadt BZ Lötigkeitsstempel “13” beneath the ducal crown.
Height: 7 in. (17.8 cm)
Total weight: approx. 455 g
Provenance:
Collection of Katherine Pitcher, Leonardtown, Maryland;
Wayne Cox, Galveston, Texas (acquired 2013);
Kunsthaus Lempertz, Cologne, Auction 1019, Decorative Arts, lot 372;
Court of Hesse-Darmstadt Collection, sold from the Estate of Ms. Gudrunn Ille by Hugo Ruef and wife, former curator of the collection of Princess Margaret of Hesse-Darmstadt (1913–1997), Auction 486, Alte und Moderne Kunst, Munich, November 2000;
Grand Ducal Collection of Hesse-Darmstadt, during the reign of Grand Duke Ludwig I (1753–1830).
Published in: Die Darmstädter Silberkammer: Werke alter Edelschmiedekunst, Museum Schloss Fasanerie.
Notes:
Georg Martin Schnitzspahn (1794–1877) served as Grand Ducal Court goldsmith and silversmith in Darmstadt from the early 1820s, shortly after his marriage. These candlesticks were produced during the formative period of his court appointment and reflect the refined neoclassical taste of the Hessian court under Grand Duke Ludwig I.
Detailed information