As noted by the OP, the Basil Rathbone scene from 1940 could well be the earliest example of a sword being sliced in two by a sword purely to showcase his prowess. The 1925 movie, Don Q, Son of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks also features candle slicing, albeit with a whip.
While I have not seen it, this blog notes that the Errol Flynn swashbuckler, The Sea Hawk, also features a scene where "Flynn slices through the candle sticks, quite why I couldn't say for sure, but it looks pretty cool!". The film was released in July, 1940 while The Mark of Zorro was released in November of the same year.
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