686 Candlesticks–A Marriage or No?

from Dave Kingsley and Duane Moulton of Loxahatchee, FL

Hi Alan,

We recently purchased this pair of 686 candlesticks from a reputable auction house via online bidding. Upon photographing I noticed differences between the two sticks. One is slightly taller being exactly 10″, whereas the shorter is 9-7/8″. The taller has a foot diameter of 4-3/4″ whilst the shorter has a foot diameter of 4-1/2″. We have identified the primary color as Verre de Soie with socket lip treatment and foot rim treatment in Celeste Blue. The blue on the taller one is slightly darker which would lead us to believe that these were not made from the same batch and thus not a matched pair. The twist in the stem is also slightly different one compared to the other.

Our question is this; Would these have been shipped as a pair in this manner, or were candlesticks sold individually by Steuben and paired up at the retail level? Our other thought is that these were bought individually and married by the previous owners then sold as the pair by the auction house when dealing with the estate.

Best Regards,

Dave Kingsley

Duane Moulton