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1 of 253523 objects
Set of candelabra 1787-92
Gilt bronze, enamel | 76 x 30.5 x 18.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 4246
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A set of four light candelabra, different in design but similar in composition: each holds a percussion instrument and stand on a rocky base strewn with plants and vegetation; behind are tress and a central bamboo shaft which are attached to the candle arms. The shaft terminates in a dragon crouched on a ball; all on a fretwork apron mount hung with bells on four feet of clustered bamboo stems.
Provenance
These candelabra were part of the decoration of the Chinese Drawing Room at Carlton House, completed by 1792. Unusually for a scheme of this early date, a visual record is published in Thomas Sheraton’s The Cabinet Makers’ and Upholsterers’ Drawing Book.
This was the earliest incarnation of George IV’s enthusiasm for chinoiserie, which reached its greatest intensity in the redecoration of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton twenty-five years later. The scheme was overseen by the Prince’s dealer-decorator, Dominique Daguerre, who commissioned much of the decoration from Parisian craftsmen. In 1819 they were moved to the Royal Pavilion for the furnishing of the Music Room Gallery. -
Creator(s)
(nationality)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Gilt bronze, enamel
Measurements
76 x 30.5 x 18.5 cm (whole object)
