A pair of 18th century Royal German silver candlesticks

Balthasar Friedrich Behrens, Hanover 1744 / 1750, the bases engraved 'No. 20' and 'No. 46' (2)

Footnotes

Provenance

George II of Great Britain and Ireland (1683-1760).
By descent in the Royal family of Great Britain and Hanover until the death of King William IV in 1837, when the two kingdoms separated under two monarchs.
Ernest Augustus, 1st Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover (r.1837-1851).
George V, King of Hanover (1819–1878).
Ernest Augustus II, Crown Prince of Hanover (1845–1923).
With Glückselig in 1924.
With Crichton Brothers of London in 1924.
Acquired by the present owner in the 1960s.

These two candlesticks belong to a set of seventy-two supplied by Behrens for the Royal palaces of Hanover. The first twenty-four (marked with Hanover date letter 'E') were delivered in 1744 and recorded in the Hanover Court Inventory of 1747. The remaining forty-eight (marked with date letter 'G' for circa 1750) are mentioned in the Inventory of 1760 now forming the full set of seventy-two.

When George Frederick, King of Hanover was deposed during the Seven Weeks War in 1866 the family left for Austria. In 1923, following the death of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, part of the Hanover silver was sold to the Viennese dealer Glückselig who in turn sold much of it to Crichton Brothers in London. The silver generated such interest that Crichton Brothers staged an exhibition of the silver in 1924. The catalogue produced for the occasion includes sixty-four of the candlesticks which were displayed in Cases No. 8, 9 and 10 and described as 'Candlesticks (of Set of 72), square, shaped, moulded base, octagonal baluster stems with shell shoulders, 9 inches high, Maker, Behrns, Hanover, circa 1740. Engraved Royal Arms in Garter and Cypher and Coronet of George II..'

Candlesticks from the set to have appeared subsequently at auction include:

A single candlestick, numbered 43, Christie's London 2nd/3rd June 2015, lot 669.
A pair, numbered 57 and 66, Sotheby's Paris, 25th November 2010, lot 344.
A set of four, numbered 16, 62, 63 and 71, Christie's London, 5th June 2008, lot 15.
A set of four, numbered 26, 30, 33 and 60, Sotheby's Geneva, 18th May 1992, lot 125.
A set of four, numbered 2, 9, 27 and 45 (nozzles 10, 14, 23 and 72), Sotheby's Geneva, 13th May, 1996, lot 166.
Further sets of four (without inventory numbers being recorded) have appeared at Sotheby's Monaco, 30th November 1977 and Sotheby's New York, 28th/29th October 1977, lots 467 and 468. )
A set of eight was sold by Sotheby's New York, 21st June 1984, lot 31.