The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Candelabrum Pair

1757–1758
fabricated by

François Thomas Germain

(French, 1726–1791)
France, Paris
silver
Diameter: 19.9 cm (7 13/16 in.); Overall: 38.1 x 24.5 cm (15 x 9 5/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1940.14
Location: 216A French and German

Did You Know?

These candelabra are part of a dinner service sent from Paris, France to Saint-Petersburg, Russia in two separate shipments, the first of which contained 270 objects for 8 dozen place settings.

Description

This pair of candelabras were one small part of the Parisian Service, an enormous silver dinner set commissioned by Empress Elisabeth of Russia. This revival of artistic relationships between France and Russia towards the end of her reign was connected to her policy of reconciliation with the French Royalty. Though Elisabeth died before seeing the complete service delivered from Paris to Saint Petersburg it continued to be used well into the reign of Catherine II.
  • made for the Russian Court in the 1750s. (Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., New York).
  • Foote, Helen. "French Silver." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 27, no. 6 (June 1940): 87-90 Reproduced: front cover; Mentioned: p. 87 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 294 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 138 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 138 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 183 archive.org
  • All That Glitters: Great Silver Vessels in Cleveland's Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 23, 1994-January 8, 1995).
    Exhibition of French, English, and American Silver in Honor of Russell A. Plimpton. Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN (organizer) (June 10-July 15, 1956).
    Exhibition of the Month: "Rococo Style in Various Arts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 30, 1945).
  • {{cite web|title=Candelabrum Pair |url=false|author=François Thomas Germain|year=1757–1758|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1940.14