A design for a silver two branched candlelabrum by an anonymous draughtsman, c. 1805

A drawing of a silver candelabrum. Profile and prospective, Full size, 535 x 495 mm.

The stem is formed as a tripod rising from a column base with acanthus leaves. At the top of the tripod are goats’ heads from which spring two candle branches and two curved supports holding a central element at the top of which is a basket with hanging garlands. Under the finial is an inverted crescent moon hanging from rings added in pencil. All on a tripod-shaped base.
The upper basket, the garlands and the supporting dish shaped element, are copied from Sir William Chambers “A treatise on the decorative part of civil architecture”, 1791, pl. I, Various Ornamental Utensils. In Chambers’ designs these are placed on top of terminal figures.
The tripod is loosely based on Chambers’ design for the tripod at Wilton House, pl. II, Various Ornamental Utensils, which very similarly supports a deep bottom covered bowl. The curved supports are copied from the handle of a design for a ewer in Michelangelo Pergolesi’s “Ornaments and Designs”, 1777- 1791, pl 26. The ewer is based on a design by Agostino Veneziano.
An inverted crescent is the badge of the Duke of Northumberland, the Pergolesi’s set of prints is dedicated to the late Duke of Northumberland on 1791.
This drawing was registered into the collection on the 7th February 1901. The register records “Found behind books in Art Library”.

D.13-1901