Pair of Candle Stands
1838 (made)
1838 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
When this pair of candlestands was acquired, it was thought that they dated from the 1770s, when the neo-classical ornament would have been the height of the fashion led by the architect Robert Adam. In 1972, however, when the candlestands were dismantled for conservation, an inscription was found that identified them as having been made in the workshops of Gillows & Co. The candlestands are larger than most eighteenth-century ones, although their use of neo-classical ornament is convincing.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Title | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved and gilt wood |
| Brief description | Pair of tall candlestands of carved and gilded wood in the form of classical tripod altars, the three legs of each tripod carved at bottom and top with rams' hooves and head, the head linked beneath the bowl with swags of laurel. |
| Physical description | Pair of candlestands of carved and gilt wood, each composed of a flattened vase-shaped head, supported on a central column and three tapering shafts with ram's heads and hoof feet; festoons are suspended between the ram's heads. The whole is supported on a triangular base, with scroll feet. All the surface is richly carved with acanthus foliage and other ornament, in the style of Robert Adam. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | On one side:
'N. MAXWELL'
On the other side:
'No. £
J. Barge and E. Taylor
at Gillow & Co.
June 1 1838 (In 1972 when the stands were being cleaned, the top was taken off one stand revealing a hollow basin inscribed around the edge in pencil with the names and date. The second stand (A)was inscribed 'No1'.) |
| Object history | From the collection of Lord Brownlow at Belton House, Lincolnshire When these were acquired they were thought to date from about 1775 and they were published with that date in 1972 by Maurice Tomlin (see references). Shortly after they were partially dismantled for conservation and the inscription dating them to 1838 and identifying them as by the firm of Gillow was discovered. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | When this pair of candlestands was acquired, it was thought that they dated from the 1770s, when the neo-classical ornament would have been the height of the fashion led by the architect Robert Adam. In 1972, however, when the candlestands were dismantled for conservation, an inscription was found that identified them as having been made in the workshops of Gillows & Co. The candlestands are larger than most eighteenth-century ones, although their use of neo-classical ornament is convincing. |
| Bibliographic reference | Tomlin, Maurice, Catalogue of Adam Period Furniture (London: HMSO for Victoria and Albert Museum, 1972), cat. no. N/6, p. 107 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.72-1923 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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