Pair of candlesticks. Real Fábrica de Platería... Lot 10

Pair of candlesticks. Real Fábrica de Platería Martínez, Madrid, first third of the 19th century. Gilt silver. Silverware marks. Provenance: Dukes of Montpensier. It has some faults. Measurements: 52,5 x 23 cm. Pair of candelabra of three lights of elegant design, with mythological figures working as shafts that represent Mercury. The arms take the form of dragons in their terminations. The silver has been worked with great care. The piece has marks indicating that it is a piece made in Madrid, by the Real Fábrica de Platería Martínez. Like all the royal factories (tapestries, porcelain and glass), the project was conceived by Charles III, who rescued the model from the French state, applying it to Spain with the intention of providing benefits to the state coffers. At first it was known as the Real Escuela de Platería y Maquinas, although finally the name Real Fábrica de Platería Martínez was adopted, taking the name of the renowned silversmith of Aragon, Antonio Martínez Barrio.