Candlestick
ca. 1810 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This early 19th-century ormolu candlestick is in the form of a flower bud and features a realistically modelled snake looped in a figure 8 on the rim of the dish. The smaller loop of the 8 forms the handle, where the lifelike, scaled body of the snake crosses over and rises from the rim. On the opposite side of the rim are entwined the head and tail of the snake.
Ormolu, adapted from the French word or-moulu, literally means ground gold. The term is used to describe decorative objects and mounts for furniture and porcelain in copper, brass and bronze which has been gilt by the process of fire or mercurial gilding. The word, which was introduced into England in the early 1760s, is usually only used to describe pieces dating from after the mid-17th century.
In order to gild by this method the gold is reduced to a powder and amalgamated with mercury at a high temperature. The result is a paste--having the consistency of butter--which is roughly two parts of mercury to one part gold. The amalgam is applied with a brush or gilding knife to the surface of the object, which is then heated until the mercury has evaporated, leaving the gold bonded to the surface. Surfaces that need to coloured further can be reheated or treated with various chemicals and areas matted or burnished as desired. Because mercury vapour is toxic, mercurial poisoning among the workforce was alarmingly high. The average life expectancy for a gilder in the 18th century could be as low as 30 years. For this reason fire gilding is forbidden today except under carefully controlled conditions, and gilding is normally achieved by the process of electrolysis.
Ormolu, adapted from the French word or-moulu, literally means ground gold. The term is used to describe decorative objects and mounts for furniture and porcelain in copper, brass and bronze which has been gilt by the process of fire or mercurial gilding. The word, which was introduced into England in the early 1760s, is usually only used to describe pieces dating from after the mid-17th century.
In order to gild by this method the gold is reduced to a powder and amalgamated with mercury at a high temperature. The result is a paste--having the consistency of butter--which is roughly two parts of mercury to one part gold. The amalgam is applied with a brush or gilding knife to the surface of the object, which is then heated until the mercury has evaporated, leaving the gold bonded to the surface. Surfaces that need to coloured further can be reheated or treated with various chemicals and areas matted or burnished as desired. Because mercury vapour is toxic, mercurial poisoning among the workforce was alarmingly high. The average life expectancy for a gilder in the 18th century could be as low as 30 years. For this reason fire gilding is forbidden today except under carefully controlled conditions, and gilding is normally achieved by the process of electrolysis.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Ormolu, chased |
| Brief description | Copper-gilt candlestick, chased on the inside with waterleaves, with tulip-shaped socket and a snake in a figure of eight which forms the handle, English, ca.1810 |
| Physical description | The wide and shallow dish of the candlestick is raised on a plain foot ring, the outside is covered with a thick layer of highly burnished gilding, the inside is modelled in low relief with a quatrefoil of lotus or waterleaves. The surface of the leaves is matt chased and the edges are naturalistically rippled, the centre of each leaf has a prominent tapering vein. Between each leaf is the diamond-shaped tip of a further leaf set on a punched ground. The candle socket is raised on a base chased with four downturned stylised waterleaves. The casting is hollow and filled with a cork. The centre is drilled to receive the threaded rod extending from the underside of the socket section to the underneath of the dish where it is secured by a rectangular brass nut. The socket is modelled as the bud of a lotus(?) flower, the outside is chased with four tulip-like petals, overlaying four more, the tips of which are apparent between them. The remaining background is punched. The inside of the socket has a cylindrical cavity. The underneath is drilled with two holes to receive the pins protruding from the base section. The rim of the dish is applied with a naturistically modelled snake which is looped in a figure of eight. The smaller loop forms the handle, where the life-like scaled body of the snake crosses over and rises from the rim. On the opposite side of the rim are entwined the head and tail of the snake. |
| Dimensions |
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| Historical context | A version of this model made in silver gilt is at Attingham Park (Berwick Collection), Shropshire. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This early 19th-century ormolu candlestick is in the form of a flower bud and features a realistically modelled snake looped in a figure 8 on the rim of the dish. The smaller loop of the 8 forms the handle, where the lifelike, scaled body of the snake crosses over and rises from the rim. On the opposite side of the rim are entwined the head and tail of the snake. Ormolu, adapted from the French word or-moulu, literally means ground gold. The term is used to describe decorative objects and mounts for furniture and porcelain in copper, brass and bronze which has been gilt by the process of fire or mercurial gilding. The word, which was introduced into England in the early 1760s, is usually only used to describe pieces dating from after the mid-17th century. In order to gild by this method the gold is reduced to a powder and amalgamated with mercury at a high temperature. The result is a paste--having the consistency of butter--which is roughly two parts of mercury to one part gold. The amalgam is applied with a brush or gilding knife to the surface of the object, which is then heated until the mercury has evaporated, leaving the gold bonded to the surface. Surfaces that need to coloured further can be reheated or treated with various chemicals and areas matted or burnished as desired. Because mercury vapour is toxic, mercurial poisoning among the workforce was alarmingly high. The average life expectancy for a gilder in the 18th century could be as low as 30 years. For this reason fire gilding is forbidden today except under carefully controlled conditions, and gilding is normally achieved by the process of electrolysis. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.10-1989 |
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| Record created | February 16, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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