Charles Henri Auguste Schefer (1820-1898)

Sa vente, Hôtel Drouot, 8-11 juin 1898 : no. 146

Hôtel Drouot, Mes Binoche & Giquello, Paris, 21 juillet 2020 : n°223 (ill.) (catalogué comme pied de lampe Afrique du Nord)

Collection particulière, Paris et Londres

This slender cylindrical form is characteristic of a group of Safavid candlesticks that share a similar silhouette and decorative scheme. They appear to have been highly popular in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Many are inscribed with lyrical and mystical verses by renowned poets of the period, reflecting the close relationship between Persian poetry and the visual arts. While some candlesticks were dedicated to major shrines, others were used in secular contexts (Sheila R. Canby, Shah ʿAbbas: The Remaking of Iran, London, 2009, cats. 47–49, pp. 84–87). This lamp bears the name of its owner, ʿAli Khan al-Ardabili, whose nisba suggests an origin in Ardabil, the site of the Safavid dynastic shrine in north-western Iran.

This faceted candlestick is closely related to three other examples, one of which bears an Armenian date corresponding to 1027 / 1578 AD (Sotheby’s, 10 June 2020, lot 112). The second torch-holder came from the Edmond Foulc collection in Nîmes (Christie’s, London, 14–15 December 2005, lot 381), while the third is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. 91.1.579).

Charles Henri August Schefer was a scholar, bibliophile, and professor of Persian at the École des langues orientales, appointed in 1857. He served as its president from 1867 until his death in 1898. His career in the diplomatic service led him to spend several years in Egypt, Beirut, Jerusalem, Izmir, and Istanbul. Schefer is well known for his collection of Islamic manuscripts, which was acquired by the Bibliothèque nationale in 1900, while the remainder of his art collection, including this candlestick, was dispersed at auction in 1898 and 1899.