Pair of French Empire Retour d’Égypte candelabra

A remarkable pair of French Empire candelabra with four arms on a trumpet-shaped column. The upper side of the round base is decorated with appliquéd curling patterns within cartouches. The straight column emerges from a vase-shaped ornament in the centre of the foot. The four arms, which continue downwards along the stem to terminate in gaping lion’s heads, are shaped like pharaoh portraits with bodies made of stylised acanthus leaves. On their heads, the pharaohs wear the candleholders and drip pans. The central column continues upwards through the four arms, thus forming a fifth candleholder, which is covered by a plug in the shape of a flame. These two candelabra stand out for their powerful design, as well as the highly refined, detailed finish and the high quality of the chasing.

These candelabra are part of a candelabra group whose known constituent items mostly form or formed part of famous collections. For example, one such pair was part of a large commission from the Duke of Orléans, later Louis Philippe of France (1773-1850), for Château de Neuilly. This pair is marked with the letter LP and N, indicating that they were part of the chateau’s inventory. Château de Neuilly was originally built for Marc Pierre de Voyer d'Argenson, secretary of state under Louis XV in the 1750s. In the early nineteenth century, it belonged to Joachim Murat, one of Napoleon’s most prominent generals, who eventually married Napoleon’s youngest sister, Caroline. When Murat was crowned King of Naples in 1808, the chateau and its inventory transferred to his sister-in-law Pauline, princess Borghese. It was acquired by Louis Philippe in 1819, and ultimately destroyed during the revolutions of 1848.

Other known identical pairs are: a pair from the collections of Baron de Redé and Baron Guy de Rothschild, sold by Sotheby’s in Monaco on 26 May 1975 as lot 241 with the inventory numbers 12426 and 12427; a pair of anonymous provenance sold at Christie’s London on 21 May 1996, lot 252, with the inventory numbers 23492 and 23488; and two pairs sold from the collection of Mr and Mrs Stephen C. Hilbert at Sotheby’s New York on 24 May 2007, lots 21 and 22, with the inventory numbers 23498, 23488 and 23492.

Retour d’Égypte
In 1799, Napoleon embarked for Egypt. It was not the first time the French had set their sights on the country: the idea that conquering Egypt would serve to gain purchase on the Indian trade had already been floated in 1769. After Napoleon made peace with Austria during his expedition through Italy, Great Britain remained as the sole power opposing France. An invasion by Great Britain was considered impossible, leading to a revival of the design to invade Egypt. After all, this would be a serious blow to Britain’s dominion in the Middle East, and would allow Napoleon to establish himself as a ruler.

The ambitious expedition began auspiciously, but within a few months – when most troops were already committed in Egypt, following several successful battles – the French fleet was defeated by the British at sea. Napoleon tarried in Egypt a bit longer before returning to Paris in 1799 to seize power. His remaining troops held on until 1801, when they were finally defeated by the British.

From a military point of view, the undertaking was a failure, but scientifically and culturally it was a great success. Napoleon had brought along many scientists in addition to his troops, who were able to uncover a wealth of information about Egypt and its many treasures. This sparked much interest and a true craze for all things related to Egypt – an Egyptomania that strongly affected the art, architecture, fashion, applied art and jewellery of the time.