This is one of a pair of gilded copper alloy candlesticks that belonged to the wealthy collector John Jones, who on his death bequeathed them to the South Kensington Museum (as the V&A was then known). Although this pair is not mentioned specifically in the 1883 Handbook of the Jones collection, the author does observe more generally that the candlesticks in the Jones bequest are particularly useful models 'for imitation or as guides to manufacturers and workmen' (p. 144). The observation chimes with the didactic aims of Museum at this date to improve standards of design in England by displaying the best and most diverse examples of art and objects of manufacture. The 1924 Museum catalogue dates the candlesticks to the seventeenth century, but in fact they reflect the eclecticism of the nineteenth century, which combined forms and ornaments from different centuries with a taste for highly-polished and rich finishes. The triangular, openwork foot recalls medieval and renaissance forms; the three female caryatids bordered by scrolling strapwork that decorate the feet echo sixteenth-century motifs, but are probably ultimately inspired by mid-eighteenth century designs. The curving stem of the candlestick recalls early to mid-eighteenth-century shapes; the winged cherub heads cast round the nozzle represent the asymmetric aesthetic of eighteenth century roccoco fashions and, at the same time, appear to have been rather an impractical element of the design as they would have been difficult to clean.