Item number: 60135
George I Britannia silver candlesticks,
London 1721 by William Bellassyse
A pair of George I candlesticks standing on shaped stepped hexagonal base with a sunken agularly structured baluster stem which is finished with a vase-shaped nozzle.
An early pair of Georgian candlesticks of simple elegance and a good gauge. Wonderfully preserved, original surface without repairs, the hallmarks showing no rubbing.
A very rare detail of these candlesticks is their hexagonal shape, in the most cases candlesticks of this era were square-shaped.
15.5 cm / 6.10″ and 15.3 cm / 6.02″ height, 10 cm / 3.93″ width, 10.9 cm / 4.29″ depth;
348.5 g / 11.2 oz and 311.5 g / 10.01 oz
Maker´s mark: Monogram “BE” under mitre in curved cartouche for William Bellassyse (Jackson 1921: 168 and Grimwade 1976, no. 160).
William Bellassyse was born the son of the Huguenot Richard Bellasis and was apprenticed to Seth Lofthouse in 1709, completing his training in 1716. The maker’s mark “BE” on our silver candlesticks was registered in 1717, the second in 1723 with the initials “WB”. He died in Hangston in the diocese of Durham. Other spellings of his name are also documented in the historical records as “Bellassyses” and “Bellasis”.
The standard fineness of English silver was always 925/1000, except for the period between 1697 and 1720, when Britannia silver was used as standard, which has a fineness of 958/1000, after which sterling silver was used again. Our candlesticks are still made of Britannia silver.