QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Export porcelain candlesticks in this charming form are fairly rare, but were made in both blue and white and famille rose in the second half of the 18th century, Although the basic form is clearly derived from European silver, no one has identified the origin of the amusing hound supporters, who are derived from a familiar Chinese model made since the early Kangxi period. Hounds were well-known in both China and Europe by the China trade period, and the two cultures shared a love of dogs.
For a fuller discussion see W.R. Sargent, The Copeland Collection, pp. 232-3 and M. Cohen and W. Motley, Mandarin and Menagerie, pp. 159-60.