Blame it on the rain or my being in a funk but when I passed these pique-cierges, or candelabras sitting on the sidewalk in front of the local junk shop, my heart went out to them. I know the owner, he gave me an incredibly low price “for you. Of course for anyone else it would be much, much more.” Thigh high candelabras of this quality are getting increasingly rare and increasingly expensive so I was surprised. I also appreciated the sloppy lion’s paws and that the carvings were gossiping angels, not a cross or flaming heart in sight. He assured me that they were made of bronze and had come from une grande maison provençale, a home of consequence. Très bien. My arms hurt as I lugged the pair home, getting soaked in the process.
I called out to Remi excitedly when I finally closed the front door behind me. As he approached, the corners of his mouth turned down ever so slightly. Uh oh. Pause. “I thought that you wanted to be more stream-lined, less Baroque for the next apartment?” he asked gently, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible. “Yes, but…” I floundered, gesturing with floppy hands at the pair that we absolutely have no need for whatsoever. He was right and on top it, he confirmed what I had feared, that they weren’t indeed bronze, only metal and a very dirty metal at that. “Should we take them back?” I pestered him with the question throughout the afternoon. “Let’s wait and see.”
Thunder and lightening cracked above the roofs all through the night. Little to say no one slept well, least of all poor petrified Ben. So what better to do on a dreary day after than to take another look at my purchase? Two hours later and here we are. Too impatient to post once the job is done. Silly girl that I am, I chose to start with the “cleaner” of the two and so imagine that I have many, many hours still ahead but I don’t mind. It has been so soothing to just focus on one task at hand. Simple movements, revealing. A little like rubbing Aladdin’s lamp without any hope of a genie. I am most definitely still on the fence about this pair but I do feel like I am discovering as I go and that is always positive. They certainly have a pretty patina. To be continued…
The candlesticks are a wonderful scale and design. I was excited when I saw the picture with the partially polished stick.. It looked like silver! Even if it isn't, they are still worth having.
Oh hooray! I am so glad that you like them, Greet!! You and Brooke have inspired me so much that I would really love to go for a more elegant interior in our new apartment.
Wishing you a lovely evening as well–hopefully one with less rain than what we have here…
They are BEAUTIFUL!! Very nice purchase!
Have a wonderful evening Heather!!
xx
Greet (Belgian Pearls)
I had to post anonymous because of the blogger problems!
Aaaagh! Look at all of these fantastic comments! So much to respond to! Oh my, I am woefully behind. Remi has family in town and so we have been cooking, doing dishes, cooking again, etc.
Debra–how did you know that we are having iffy electricity? Those storms have taken our power out twice and one of the upstairs neighbors is still without (we are keeping her food in our freezer). But I am a candle addict all the time actually and have my little nightly ritual of lighting them throughout the house.
Gldiebr–I can't wait either! But will have to, unfortunately. Definitely no time today.
Virginia–I think that they are brass. NOT something that I am fond of usually. And we don't have a streamlined style unfortunately, that is the problem. 🙁 It is beginning to look like a flea market in here!
Trace–"wax on, wax off"? 🙂 And I no longer even bat an eyelash at our syncronicity but am admittedly trying to vampirize some of your wisdom in the current. Let the flags fly!
Cnjhooker–Merci and thanks also for stopping by.
Jane and Lance–yet another example of your making me laugh out loud. Well, if you say that one can never be too Baroque than I HAVE to listen. I too despise anything remotely tchostsky-esque. Remi once admitted that he would feel at ease living in a castle. Ah, we can dream. Thank you as always for your compliments–I will try to live up to them.
Wishing everyone an excellent Sunday.
Hello Heather:
Well, in our view, one can never be too Baroque and if these are anything to go by, then one most certainly cannot have too much.
What an absolute find! They are splendid and such a good size [we loathe the itsy-bitsy], large enough to make a real statement, which is what one always needs, and very, very decorative. You clearly have an excellent eye, Heather, as well as a great sense of style.
Classique!
perfection… it's the circles, the meditation of the polishing circles. Remind you of anything, Dorothy of the storm winds?
Again, there is synchronicity. i'm cutting strips of linen for curtains i've hated since i pinned them in their unloved place. i'm making prayer flags from them, for them. can't wait to see what you make from these bearer of luminance.
Oh you can't leave the story there ~ I am maddened with curiosity to know what on earth they are made from!
Anyway, in my opinion, whatever they are made from doesn't change the fact that they are beautiful, and you loved them at first sight, for their fabulous shape and ambience.
To me they are fabulously lofty and bold – and can provide the perfect hint of detail in an otherwise streamlined style. Go with your heart, it is rarely wrong. (aka – don't take them back!)
Virginia x
Candlesticks are always a good idea especially in France where the electricity can sometimes be iffy. Besides who doesn't like the glow from a candle? Your candlesticks are wonderful personally I would keep them.
Oooh, I love them! I can see why you brought them home. Even if they're not bronze, they're interesting and they spoke to you. That's enough, right?
I can't wait to see the finished product. Beautiful!