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Lot Essay
Augustus was the only legitimate son of Augustus II the Strong, Imperial Prince-Elector of Saxony and monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, by his wife, Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. He was groomed to succeed his father as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and thus in 1721, converted to Catholicism. After his father's death, he inherited Saxony and was elected King of Poland, with the support of Russian and Austrian military forces in the War of the Polish Succession (1733-1738). As King, Augustus III was uninterested in the affairs of his Polish-Lithuanian dominion, focusing on interests such as hunting, opera and collecting paintings and works of art. He married in 1719 the Archduchess, Maria Josepha of Austria, daughter of Joseph I, the Holy Roman Emperor and together they had fifteen children.
Following his father's example, Augustus continued to lavish large amounts of money on artistic commissions for the Saxon royal collection. His father had advised him in 1719, the year of his marriage, that 'Princes win immortality through great building as well as great victories.' Of Augustus it was said that '...he showed neither talent or inclination for government but took great interest in music and painting.' Nancy Mitford's observations were more acerbic 'Historians look with no good eye on Augustus the Strong and his son Augustus III who between them reduced the rich state of Saxony to penury in order to satisfy their craving for works of art. Beautiful Dresden under their rule was the most civilized town in the Empire' (N. Mitford, Frederick the Great, 1970, p.33).
During his reign, under the direction of Prime Minister Heinrich Count Brel, much of the existing silver in the Dresden hofsilberkammer was melted down to be refashioned into the latest, often French, styles by Dresden silversmiths. The present candlesticks for example were ordered in 1747, using silver from twelve candelabra, of which eight were from the original Matt Vergoldte service of 1718 and twenty-four candelabra from the Glantz Vergoldete service, which had been melted in March of that year. The order, delivered by Christian Heinrich Ingermann on 20 November 1747 consisted of twenty-four candelabra and thirty-six candlesticks to be added to the Doppelt Matt Vergoldete service. They are recorded in an annotation made to the 1741 König: Pohln: Churf. Sächss: Silber-Cammer INVENTARIUM which recorded the silver in the treasury in a series of chapters, listed in order of importance. Such was the esteem with which the Doppelt Matt Vergoldete service was held that it appeared in Chapter II, second only to the Royal Gold.
Despite the melting in 1765 of vast quantities of silver to help pay for the debt of the Kingdom the present candlesticks, and indeed most of the service, remained at Dresden along with four additional examples made by the sons of Carl David Schrödel in 1784. The number of sticks left had been reduced to twenty-four before the next inventory in 1882 with four further sticks, including the present examples and numbers 21 and 22 being sold on 25 February 1930. A set of six candlesticks from the service were sold Sotheby's, London, 23 November 2004, lot 83.
Following his father's example, Augustus continued to lavish large amounts of money on artistic commissions for the Saxon royal collection. His father had advised him in 1719, the year of his marriage, that 'Princes win immortality through great building as well as great victories.' Of Augustus it was said that '...he showed neither talent or inclination for government but took great interest in music and painting.' Nancy Mitford's observations were more acerbic 'Historians look with no good eye on Augustus the Strong and his son Augustus III who between them reduced the rich state of Saxony to penury in order to satisfy their craving for works of art. Beautiful Dresden under their rule was the most civilized town in the Empire' (N. Mitford, Frederick the Great, 1970, p.33).
During his reign, under the direction of Prime Minister Heinrich Count Brel, much of the existing silver in the Dresden hofsilberkammer was melted down to be refashioned into the latest, often French, styles by Dresden silversmiths. The present candlesticks for example were ordered in 1747, using silver from twelve candelabra, of which eight were from the original Matt Vergoldte service of 1718 and twenty-four candelabra from the Glantz Vergoldete service, which had been melted in March of that year. The order, delivered by Christian Heinrich Ingermann on 20 November 1747 consisted of twenty-four candelabra and thirty-six candlesticks to be added to the Doppelt Matt Vergoldete service. They are recorded in an annotation made to the 1741 König: Pohln: Churf. Sächss: Silber-Cammer INVENTARIUM which recorded the silver in the treasury in a series of chapters, listed in order of importance. Such was the esteem with which the Doppelt Matt Vergoldete service was held that it appeared in Chapter II, second only to the Royal Gold.
Despite the melting in 1765 of vast quantities of silver to help pay for the debt of the Kingdom the present candlesticks, and indeed most of the service, remained at Dresden along with four additional examples made by the sons of Carl David Schrödel in 1784. The number of sticks left had been reduced to twenty-four before the next inventory in 1882 with four further sticks, including the present examples and numbers 21 and 22 being sold on 25 February 1930. A set of six candlesticks from the service were sold Sotheby's, London, 23 November 2004, lot 83.