Torchère thumbnail 1
Torchère thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Furniture, Room 135, The Dr Susan Weber Gallery

Torchère

ca. 1795 (made)
Artist/Maker
Chippendale, Thomas (The Younger) (designer)
Place of origin
England (made)

Although made of carved wood, the torchère is skilfully painted to imitate expensive materials, bronze and porphyry. It is one of a set of at least four that came from Harewood House, Yorkshire. Following a sale of some of the contents of Harewood House in 1951, the museum purchased two torchères.

It has been suggested that Thomas Chippendale the Younger, who supplied furniture to Harewood in the 1790s until at least 1804, supplied these torchères to Edward Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood (1st Earl of Harewood from 1812). However, it has not been established who made them, or whether they were originally intended for Harewood House.







Object details

Categories
Woodwork
Furniture
Object type
Torchère
Materials and techniques
Pine, painted in imitation of bronze and porphyry.
Pine
Painting (Coating)
Brief description
Torchère of carved wood, painted to resemble bronze and porphyry, decorated with classical motifs including sphinxes, laurel wreaths and crossed spears. English, ca. 1795. Possibly designed by Thomas Chippendale the Younger and made by his firm for Harewood House, Yorkshire.
Physical description
Torchère of carved wood, painted in imitation of bronze and porphyry. The top is circular with a gadrooned edge. The fluted shaft rests on a triangular base supported by three winged sphinxes. These are supported on a triangular base, the sides of which are decorated with wreaths of laurel and crossed spears. The whole rests on three lion paws.
Dimensions
  • Approximate height: 140.5cm
  • Width: 48cm
  • From between two feet to the third one depth: 42cm
Measured 14/1/2010
Gallery label
  • Chippendale the Younger supplied furniture to Harewood, one of his father's largest commissions, in the 1790s and these torchères with their restrained use of sphinxes and other classical motifs may be an example of his work. (W.27-1951 and W.27A-1951)(unknown)
  • This pair of torchères, acquired from Harewood House, Yorkshire, is from a set of which another pair also exist. Chippendale the Younger supplied furniture for Harewood, one of his father's largest commissions, in the 1790s and these torchères with their restrained use of sphinxes and other classiacl motifs may be an example of his work. (W.27-1951 and W.27A-1951)(1996)
  • W.27 & A-1951 PAIR OF TORCHERES ENGLISH; about 1795 Pinewood painted in imitation of bronze and porphyry From Harewood House, Yorkshire.(pre October 2000)
  • W.27 & A-1951 PAIR OF STANDS ENGLISH; about 1795 Pinewood painted in imitation of bronze and porphyry From Harewood House, Yorkshire.(pre October 2000)
  • Lamp stand (torchère) About 1795 England Softwood, turned, carved and painted From Harewood House, Yorkshire Museum no. W.27A-1951 What appears to be expensive bronze and porphyry is actually skilfully painted wood. The paint was ingeniously applied using variously sized brushes, some extremely thin, over a smooth ground layer of gesso (chalk and glue). Several painters’ manuals were published at this period describing how to simulate costly materials such as rosewood, bronze and marble. (01/12/2012)
Object history
From Harewood House, Yorkshire. Accounts from 1796-7, intermittently up to 1804, show that Thomas Chippendale the Younger was employed by Lord Harewood at both Harewood House and Hanover Square.
A matching pair of torcheres sold from Harewood in Christie's 'attic' sale, 3 October 1988, was with Carlton Hobbs, New York, in 2010 (their ref. no. 8044). Those each stand on an additional plinth base, triangular with chamfered corners, which is porphyrized like the pedestal above the feet. Locating holes in the underside of the paws correspond to marks on the plinth where it may have been plugged and the paint then restored. Dimensions of the Carlton Hobbs torcheres (supplied by Carlton Hobbs in inches): H. with plinth c. 61½ in. (c. 156 cm); H. without plinth c.55½ in. (c. 141 cm). Width across carved feet ('end of toe to end of toe') c. 18¾ in. (c. 47.5 cm) -- which match the dimensions of this torchere to within 0.5 cm.
Production
One of a pair with W.27-1951.
Subjects depicted
Sphinxes
Wreaths (Costume Accessories)
Spears (Weapons)
Lion's Paw Feet
Gadrooning
Summary
Although made of carved wood, the torchère is skilfully painted to imitate expensive materials, bronze and porphyry. It is one of a set of at least four that came from Harewood House, Yorkshire. Following a sale of some of the contents of Harewood House in 1951, the museum purchased two torchères.

It has been suggested that Thomas Chippendale the Younger, who supplied furniture to Harewood in the 1790s until at least 1804, supplied these torchères to Edward Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood (1st Earl of Harewood from 1812). However, it has not been established who made them, or whether they were originally intended for Harewood House.





Associated object
W.27-1951 (Object)
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.27A-1951

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Record createdAugust 14, 1998
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O8849/torchère-chippendale-thomas-the/
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