19th-Century French Champlevé Enamel Gilt Brass Candleholder With Green Onyx Inset

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A late 19th-century French chamberstick in gilt brass, richly decorated with champlevé enamel and set with a green onyx inset. … Read more A late 19th-century French chamberstick in gilt brass, richly decorated with champlevé enamel and set with a green onyx inset. Made circa 1880–1900, it pairs jewel-toned enamelwork with polished stone in a handheld candleholder far more ornate than most of its kind.

The long scrolling handle and shaped drip tray are covered in intricate floral and foliate enamel in cobalt blue, burgundy, emerald, turquoise, yellow, and ivory, with fine diaper-pattern grounds between the scrolls. The cool green onyx at the center offsets the color of the metalwork, and a raised urn-form candle socket sits above it on a turned stem. The base rests on four small ball feet.

The scrolling, shell-edged silhouette draws on Rococo Revival form, while the dense enamel patterning reflects the French taste for historicist ornament in the late 19th century. Made as a portable bedroom light, it now works beautifully as a decorative accent on a writing desk, bedside table, bookshelf, or styled vignette.

JUNE'S THOUGHTS
I keep picking it up and turning it in the light, because every angle shows something new: a tiny blue flower here, a curl of white there, that cool slice of green onyx in the middle like a little pond. Over a century ago, someone carried this up the stairs to bed each night, and I love imagining the glow of a single candle dancing across all that enamel.

COLLECTOR'S NOTE
Champlevé enameling experienced a revival in 19th-century France, drawing inspiration from Renaissance craftsmanship. The technique involves filling recessed areas of metal with colored enamel, creating intricate patterns. French workshops often combined this enameling technique with gilt brass, bronze, and decorative stones to make fine objects for fashionable interiors.

This chamberstick is particularly appealing for its elaborate handle, richly patterned enamelwork, and contrasting green onyx stone inset. Its compact scale and unusually decorative treatment distinguish it from more conventional brass chambersticks of the period.

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