Pair of gilded beechwood torchères; the circular top with petalled edge and gadrooned bowl, above a tapering stem, carved in part with alternating bands of palm and acanthus leaves; three foliate animal feet at base; upon a concave triangular plinth with a Greek male mask on each side.

The form and decoration of these torchères, notably the foliate shaft and tripod base of the upper section and the bearded ringleted masks on the triangular pedestal base, are derived from classical sources. Similar features can be seen in the published designs of Thomas Hope and of C.H. Tatham. Some of the latter’s designs were used by his brother’s cabinet-making partnership when supplying furniture for the Prince Regent at Carlton House.

This pair of torchères, for which no documentation has been found, were shown in the Crimson Drawing Room at Buckingham House, flanking the door to the Saloon, in a view by James Stephanoff published in 1817. They appear to have been made with five-branch candelabra (which no longer survive), and were almost certainly supplied as part of the refurbishment of Queen Charlotte’s apartments at Buckingham House in c.1812. This work was undertaken in order to provide a suitable and dignified setting for the Queen to hold her Drawing Rooms and receptions after the establishment of the Regency, St James’s Palace being by then in a dilapidated state as a result of the fire of 1809.

Catalogue entry adapted from George III & Queen Charlotte: Patronage, Collecting and Court Taste, London, 2004