candle stick VON LATT

Product description

The "herms as candelabra" candlesticks in a contemporary marble look are iconic masterpieces. In the spring of 1900, the sculptor Hans Latt (1859-1946) designed two table candelabras with herms in the neoclassical style. The two two-armed candelabra with female and male figure originally formed an ensemble with a table clock. Hans Latt worked in Rome from 1883 to 1885 and was influenced in his artistic work by the sculptures and buildings of antiquity. He returned to Berlin in 1886 and devoted himself to architectural sculpture, relief art and portraiture. 

He created several models for the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin. In the special edition shown here, the chandelier shaft is artistically painted in the style of black marble and individual relief ornaments are additionally decorated with 24-carat gold and polished to a matt sheen. The artistry of the material imitation is due to the rich palette of metal oxide paints and the craftsmanship of the porcelain painters at the Berlin manufactory. 

The female figure , wrapped in a cloth, is depicted as a semi-nude and holds a mirror in her right hand. In ancient culture, the mirror was regarded as an image of the soul, and the hand mirror of Venus is still known today in stylized form as a symbol of femininity. The male counterpart, with a cloth draped over his shoulder, carries the fasces in his left arm, a bundle of rods that was carried in front of the ruler by the lictors as a symbol of office in Roman antiquity. 

Both figures and the heads attached to the sides of the candlestick base are not glazed in order to better emphasize the intricacies of the sculptural work. Fluted brass candlestick arms are attached to either side of the figures, on which the glazed porcelain spouts, which are shaped like calyxes and decorated with a gold rim, are mounted.