A design for a silver or ormolu candlestick, by John Yenn, after Sir William Chambers, c. 1770

A drawing of a silver or ormolu candlestick. Profile. Shown full size 309 x 145 mm.

A design for a silver or ormolu candlestick. The base is decorated with spiral gadrooning, and above a short fluted shaft the main part of the stem has the distinctive pinched waist, flat sides and decorated elements attached to the corners characteristic of the Rococo style. The decoration is composed of leaves and husks and a shell at the top of each side. Above this, the nozzle splays widely, covered in leaves. The rather top heavy effect, and the relentlessly brown colouring of the drawing, may suggest that this design could have been intended for execution in ormolu rather than silver. The design is presented in a wash line mount on the sheet, suggesting that it is a presentation drawing. For candle branches adapted for use in this candlestick see E5031-1910. The branches design however is in a neoclassical style of circa 1770 and may show an adaptation of an earlier Rococo design. This candlestick might be identified with a “model of a candlestick. From the design of Mr Chambers” shown at The Society of Artists of Great Britain in 1761.
Bought together with 72 other drawings from Major H. Bateman via J. Starkie Gardner on the 29th November 1910, for £ 37-0-0.

Chambers was born in Sweden and died in London. He travelled widely, visiting China, and studied architecture at the Ecole des Arts, Paris, from 1749 and in Italy from 1750 to 1755. Many of his drawings from this period are contained in his important 'Franco-Italian' album, held in the V&A. Chambers moved to London in 1755 and published his influential Treatise on Civil Architecture in 1759. Chambers demonstrated the breadth of his style in buildings such as Gower (later Carrington) House and Melbourne House, London, in such country houses as Duddingston, Scotland, and in the garden architecture he designed for Wilton House, Wiltshire, and at Kew Gardens. He became head of government building in 1782, and in this capacity built Somerset House, London. Chambers also designed furniture and silver. The silver is usually linked to clients for whom he was also designing architectural schemes. The designs for silver are all in the hand of the architect John Yenn, who was a pupil of Chambers, for whom he became a leading draughtsman, working for him from 1764 until the late 1770s, when he began to practice on his own account.

E.5030-1910