Design for a silver candelabrum by Edward Hodges Baily (1788- 1867) c.1820

A drawing of a silver candelabrum by Edward Hodges Baily, circa 1820
Two branches springing from a curving acanthus stem, leaning against it is a male figure with a pipe. Behind him a figure of Cupid piercing him with a dart.
On a base with lions' paw feet.
Profile, less than full size

A pair of silver gilt candelabra with this figures but with the stem in the form of a vine is marked by Philip Rundell and hallmarked 1820-21 . (Christie's London, The Glory of the Goldsmith, Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al- Tajir Collection, 1989 No. 147). Another pair is in the Royal Collection and hallmarked a year later (RCIN 49178).
Both these pairs have three branches while the one in the design has two and a central nozzle.
The curving stem of this candelabrum is derived from an ancient bronze lamp holder like an example in the National Archaeological Museum, Naples, excavated from Pompeii. The Roman lamp holder is also illustrated in Henry Moses, A collection of antique vases, altars, paterae, tripods, candelabra, sarcophagi, &c. from various museums and collections, 1814; Plate IX.
A pair of ormolu five-light candelabra is recorded which follow the Roman example. They may have been made by Rundells.
The male figure also appears three times on a candelabrum marked by Paul Storr and halmarked 1813-14 and made for the Duke of Devonshire (Hartop, C, Art in Industry, The Silver of Paul Storr, 2015, fig 42), designed by Thomas Stothard, see design number 1200.


This design is on folio 8 verso included in an album containing 55 designs drawn directly on 27 sheets (sometimes several to a page), for gold and silver plate, including wine-coolers, tureens, inkstands, a teapot, a kettle, candelabra etc., related to the production of the Royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge and Rundell between c.1809 and c.1820. (E.70- 124-1964) The album pages are of white wove paper watermarked 1806, full-bound in blue leather, gold tooled, lettered on the spine ‘Designs for Plate etc. by John Flaxman’. With the bookplate of John Roland Abbey (1894 –1969). Bound by William Wood. The back fly- leaf is inscribed “JA, 1070/ 13:9:1935”. All the drawings are by one hand, most probably that of the sculptor Edward Hodges Baily. He became a pupil of John Flaxman in 1807, at a time when Flaxman was designing silver for Rundell, Bridge and Rundell. He joined Rundell Bridge and Rundell in 1815 as “a modeller and designer” and in 1826 became its chief modeller and designer. In 1833 he began working for the firm of Storr and Mortimer. Some of the drawings are most probably copies by Baily of his own designs, while others are copied or adapted from designs by John Flaxman and Thomas Stothard, as well as other, anonymous, designers. The clean condition of the album, and the range of dates of the pieces shown, in addition to their unchronological arrangement, suggest that the album was made as a fair-copy record of pre-existing design drawings, all made about 1820, although some of the drawings seem also have been used as part of a design process. The drawings copied from John Flaxman and Thomas Stothard imitate the graphic styles of the originals. The album was bought from Marlborough Rare Books on 24th March 1964 for 550 pounds.

E.86-1964