Candlestick
ca. 1740 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This candlestick is one of a pair. It comes from two pairs in the V&A intended to be placed on a dining table and viewed from all sides.
Design
The stems are formed of female and male figures that also support the candle sockets. The nymph Daphne is fleeing the amorous advances of the Olympian god Apollo, the male figure. She finally escapes by turning into a laurel tree, symbolising the victory of Chastity over Desire. Figural candlesticks had been known in antiquity and were popular in Europe from the 16th century.
People
The Daphne figure on one of the candlesticks appears to be based on an original design (also in the V&A) by the renowned Swiss-born gold chaser George Michael Moser (1706-1783). No equivalent design for the Apollo figure has been traced. Moser's Daphne derives from the famous and much-reproduced sculptural group Apollo and Daphne by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, made in 1625 for the Galleria Borghese, Rome. The bold scrollwork and marine theme of the bases show the clear influence of the ornamental designs of Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (1695-1750), a celebrated exponent of the Rococo who worked in Paris. Moser and his fellow artist members of the St Martin's Lane Academy in London are credited with the dissemination of the Rococo style in England.
This candlestick is one of a pair. It comes from two pairs in the V&A intended to be placed on a dining table and viewed from all sides.
Design
The stems are formed of female and male figures that also support the candle sockets. The nymph Daphne is fleeing the amorous advances of the Olympian god Apollo, the male figure. She finally escapes by turning into a laurel tree, symbolising the victory of Chastity over Desire. Figural candlesticks had been known in antiquity and were popular in Europe from the 16th century.
People
The Daphne figure on one of the candlesticks appears to be based on an original design (also in the V&A) by the renowned Swiss-born gold chaser George Michael Moser (1706-1783). No equivalent design for the Apollo figure has been traced. Moser's Daphne derives from the famous and much-reproduced sculptural group Apollo and Daphne by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, made in 1625 for the Galleria Borghese, Rome. The bold scrollwork and marine theme of the bases show the clear influence of the ornamental designs of Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (1695-1750), a celebrated exponent of the Rococo who worked in Paris. Moser and his fellow artist members of the St Martin's Lane Academy in London are credited with the dissemination of the Rococo style in England.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Silver |
| Brief description | Apollo and Daphne candlestick (from a set of four) |
| Physical description | Candlestick, one of a set of four |
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
The designer, George Michael Moser, was a virtuoso chaser of gold. He also taught drawing at the St Martin's Lane Academy, the birthplace of English Rococo. He based the dramatically twisting figures and scrollwork bases of these candlesticks on the work of the great French Rococo goldsmith Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (1695-1750).(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | After a design by George Michael Moser (born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, 1706, died in London, 1783) Probably made in London |
| Summary | Object Type This candlestick is one of a pair. It comes from two pairs in the V&A intended to be placed on a dining table and viewed from all sides. Design The stems are formed of female and male figures that also support the candle sockets. The nymph Daphne is fleeing the amorous advances of the Olympian god Apollo, the male figure. She finally escapes by turning into a laurel tree, symbolising the victory of Chastity over Desire. Figural candlesticks had been known in antiquity and were popular in Europe from the 16th century. People The Daphne figure on one of the candlesticks appears to be based on an original design (also in the V&A) by the renowned Swiss-born gold chaser George Michael Moser (1706-1783). No equivalent design for the Apollo figure has been traced. Moser's Daphne derives from the famous and much-reproduced sculptural group Apollo and Daphne by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, made in 1625 for the Galleria Borghese, Rome. The bold scrollwork and marine theme of the bases show the clear influence of the ornamental designs of Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (1695-1750), a celebrated exponent of the Rococo who worked in Paris. Moser and his fellow artist members of the St Martin's Lane Academy in London are credited with the dissemination of the Rococo style in England. |
| Bibliographic reference | Baker, Malcolm, and Brenda Richardson (eds.), A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A Publications, 1999.
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.329& F-1977 |
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| Record created | April 27, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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