Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 125, Edwin and Susan Davies Gallery

Sconce

ca. 1896 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
A sconce was used to magnify the light of one or more candles by a back reflector, in front of which the candle was supported in a socket at the end of a fixed or swivel branch. Sconces were usually made of silver but were also made in copper and brass.

People
Margaret and Frances Macdonald were two of the most original artists working in Glasgow in the 1890s. They attended evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art together with Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Herbert Macnair (who worked with Mackintosh from 1889 at the architectural practice, Honeyman & Jeppie). They became known as The Four.

Historical Associations
The group created a distinctive decorative style that was disseminated internationally through exhibitions, in particular the fifth exhibition of the Arts and Crafts Society in London (1896), the eighth exhibition of the Vienna Secession (1900) and the Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Decorativa in Turin (1902). Their work was published in contemporary periodicals, notably The Studio, Dekorative Kunst, Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration and Ver Sacrum. In this way, they provided substantial impetus for the development and recognition of a distinctive Glasgow style in Britain and on the Continent, although they had few direct imitators.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Copper, hand-beaten, embossed and chased
Brief description
One of a pair of sconces of beaten copper, designed by Margaret and Frances Macdonald, Glasgow, ca.1896.
Physical description
Sconces of beaten copper, embossed and chased in a peacock design. Fitted with (later) electric light holders.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 46.3cm
  • Height: 59.7cm
  • Depth: 14.5cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 10/12/1998 by sf
Gallery label
British Galleries: Margaret and Frances Macdonald were two of the most original artists working in Glasgow in the1890s. These copper sconces are decorated with peacock motifs and were made using hand tools only.(27/03/2003)
Object history
Designed and made in Glasgow by Margaret Macdonald (born in Tipton, West Midlands, 1864, died in London, 1933) and Frances (Eliza) Macdonald (born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, 1873, died in Glasgow, 1921)
'Doves and Dreams' Exhibition RF.2004/972
Summary
Object Type
A sconce was used to magnify the light of one or more candles by a back reflector, in front of which the candle was supported in a socket at the end of a fixed or swivel branch. Sconces were usually made of silver but were also made in copper and brass.

People
Margaret and Frances Macdonald were two of the most original artists working in Glasgow in the 1890s. They attended evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art together with Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Herbert Macnair (who worked with Mackintosh from 1889 at the architectural practice, Honeyman & Jeppie). They became known as The Four.

Historical Associations
The group created a distinctive decorative style that was disseminated internationally through exhibitions, in particular the fifth exhibition of the Arts and Crafts Society in London (1896), the eighth exhibition of the Vienna Secession (1900) and the Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Decorativa in Turin (1902). Their work was published in contemporary periodicals, notably The Studio, Dekorative Kunst, Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration and Ver Sacrum. In this way, they provided substantial impetus for the development and recognition of a distinctive Glasgow style in Britain and on the Continent, although they had few direct imitators.
Associated object
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.66A-1959

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Record createdOctober 23, 2001
Record URL
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