Estimate

2.000 - 4.000

Session 2

16 December 2025

Hammer Price

Description

Silver, fineness .875 (84 zolotniks)
Each formed by a circular dish and a hollow stem, the elements fitting together and screwing closed to form a compact domed case for travelling
With Moscow town mark for 1856, assay mark of Andrei Kovalsky (1821–1856), and a partially legible silversmith’s mark
(dents, restorations)

Height: 7 cm
Diam.: 10,5 cm
239,5 g

Additional Information

Developed in the late 18th century to provide portable lighting, the so-called Brighton buns are distinguished by a clever construction in which two bases and two stems screw together to form a small, compact case that can be carried easily in luggage or in a coat pocket. The name, recorded from the 19th century onwards, refers to the resemblance of the closed set to the round sweet buns sold in the bakeries of Brighton.
Popular with travellers and particularly favoured by military officers on campaign for their sturdiness and portability, these candlesticks were produced in brass, bronze and silver, with documented manufacture until the mid-19th century. Silver examples continued to be made later in the century with more streamlined forms. Today they are sought after as practical and inventive objects that reflect the culture of travel in their period.