Ontwerp voor een zilveren kandelaar gedecoreerd met twee kinderen 1738 - 1749

Louis Desplaces made this print of a design for a silver candlestick sometime in the early 18th century. The swirling base and fluted top of the candlestick are adorned with two cherubic children, typical of the Rococo style gaining popularity in France at the time. But let's consider this object beyond its aesthetic appeal. Silver, like this proposed candlestick, was a marker of wealth and status in the French court. The image itself, an etching, would have circulated amongst craftsmen and potential patrons, advertising Desplaces' skill and the availability of luxury goods. The inscription at the bottom, "Avec Privilege du Roy," indicates that Desplaces had royal approval to produce and sell such designs, a crucial endorsement in a society governed by patronage and courtly taste. To understand this image fully, we might look at period inventories of aristocratic households, guild records for silversmiths, and publications documenting the decorative arts. These sources would help us reconstruct the social and economic context in which such objects were made, consumed, and ultimately, valued.