Antique Imperial Russian Silver Figural Candelabra Pair – Sazikov, Moscow 1867 – 84 Silver Warrior Candle Holders – Local Pickup Only

Local pickup only at our gallery in Costa Mesa, California. The price is for the pair.

An impressive pair of antique Imperial Russian silver four-light figural candelabra, bearing the hallmarks of the celebrated firm of Sazikov, Moscow, 1867. Each stem is modelled as a bearded medieval Russian warrior (vityaz) in a pointed helmet and finely textured chain mail, a sword at his side, one hand on his hip and the other gripping the tall staff that rises above him into the candle branches. The two figures are posed in mirror image, forming a true opposing pair.

Each warrior stands on a domed circular base chased with a band of interlaced arches enclosing stylised leaves between rope-twist borders. Above, an urn-shaped centre with strapwork ornament carries scrolling branches with decorated drip pans and candle sockets, hung with pierced pendants and pear-shaped drops in the Old Russian taste. The surfaces show a soft, aged patina.

Hallmarks (rim of the base, see photo): the assay master's initials A·S in Cyrillic over the date 1867 (attributed to A. Svechin, Moscow assay office, 1862–1875); the 84 zolotnik silver standard (875/1000); the Moscow town mark of St. George; the Imperial double-headed eagle, the warrant mark of a supplier to the Imperial Court; and the maker's mark САЗИКОВЪ (Sazikov).

About Sazikov

• The firm was founded in Moscow in 1793 by Pavel Sazikov and rose to fame under his son, Ignaty Sazikov (1793–1868).
• In 1846 Tsar Nicholas I granted the firm the Imperial Warrant, making Sazikov an official supplier to the Imperial Court with the right to mark its silver with the double-headed eagle.
• Sazikov won a gold medal at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851.
• In 1867, the year stamped on these candelabra, Ignaty Sazikov was awarded the Légion d'honneur at the Exposition Universelle in Paris.
• The firm is regarded as a pioneer of the “Russian style” in silver: sculptural pieces drawn from medieval Russian history and folk life, the tradition to which these warrior figures belong.
• After Ignaty's death the firm continued under his sons until it was sold to Khlebnikov in 1887. Sazikov silver is held in museum collections, including the Moscow Kremlin Armoury.

For market reference: a pair of silver figural candelabra by Sazikov (St. Petersburg, 1871) was offered at Sotheby's London, Russian Works of Art, 2016, lot 385, with an estimate of £50,000–70,000.

Details

• Maker: Sazikov (hallmarked), Moscow, Russian Empire
• Date: 1867 (hallmarked)
• Material: silver, 84 zolotnik (875/1000), as hallmarked
• Form: pair of four-light figural candelabra with mirror-image warrior figures
• Height: approximately 21.5 in (55 cm) each
• Weight, each weighed separately (see scale photos): 8 lb 1.2 oz (about 3,663 g) and 7 lb 14.4 oz (about 3,583 g); together about 15 lb 15.6 oz (7,246 g). The small difference between the two is normal for hand-finished 19th-century work. Weights are gross, as weighed.
• Condition: antique, about 160 years old. Unpolished, with tarnish, surface wear and small spots of oxidation consistent with age. Please review all photos.
• Candles are shown for display only.
• Sold as a pair.

Viewing and pickup: local pickup only at Antiqua Art in Costa Mesa, California (Orange County), by appointment. This pair is not shipped. The description is based on the hallmarks shown in the photographs; no third-party certificate is included, and serious buyers are welcome to examine the pair in person, with their own expert, before purchase.