Baluster

Object Type
Balusters serve mainly to support the hand rail of a staircase. The grander the staircase, the more ornate the baluster. They were often spiral or bulbous in shape, and their form was also used for the legs of tables and cabinet stands.

Materials & Makings
The baluster has traces of gesso, the fine plaster coating that served as a ground for gilding. The capital and base were carved, but the barley-sugar shaft was turned on a lathe.

Design
The baluster is richly carved in the Baroque style, which prevailed in England between about 1660 and about 1720. Its shaft is twisted like barley sugar and terminates in foliate ring, placed above a carved acanthus 'vase' with a guilloche ring base. This design is similar to that of baluster supports on a stand to writing cabinet, made around 1675, in the Duchess of Lauderdale's closet at Ham House, Richmond, Surrey (National Trust).

Use
Grand staircases were a lavishly decorated feature of the interior. They led to the most important rooms in the house, which were mainly on the first floor. Less ornate staircases, with very simple balusters, were known as backstairs. They were used by servants or important people wishing to come and go in secret, hence the expression 'backstairs intrigue'.