LATE 16TH/EARLY 17TH CENTURY, PROBABLY BOHEMIAN

This rare pair of candlesticks, carved from richly variegated Bohemian jasper and mounted with parcel-gilt silver, was almost certainly conceived for the illumination of a princely treasury or Kunstkammer. Exemplifying the Central European taste for luxury objects fashioned from precious hardstones and rock crystal, the present works reflect the sophisticated artistic milieu of late Renaissance Prague. They relate to the celebrated jasper candlesticks and caskets produced by the city’s distinguished Italian-trained artisans, such as the workshop of Ottavio Miseroni.