Images(8)

Chandelier

Date1700-1715

OriginEngland, London

MediumElm, oak, iron, gesso, gilt and pewter

DimensionsH: 27"; OD: 37"; Stem diam: 11"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1955-41

DescriptionChandelier: central stem consisting of melon knop surmounting an acanthus-carved lambrequin with pendent tassels above a central bulb with shallow fluting and leaf carving in high relief; below it, 8 small pendants surround the leaf carved central pendant. Eight female masks of gilded pewter on swell of stem, each concealing junction of serpentine, leaf-carved branch terminating in gadrooned drip pan centering a waisted, gadrooned candle socket.Label TextThis gilt wooden chandelier was fashioned in the baroque style much popularized in Holland and England by French Huguenot designer Daniel Marot. Immensely talented, Marot designed rooms, furniture, upholstery, and gardens for the elite, including England’s King William III and Queen Mary. He also published his designs, including several for chandeliers. Marot’s decorative schemes, while ornate, were restrained and precise as compared with later rococo works.

This chandelier combines orderly carved foliage with human faces cast in pewter. Its brilliant gold surfaces would have sparkled in sunlight during the day and reflected candlelight at night.

ProvenanceEx colls: Lady Anne Chandos-Pole; H.H. Mulliner.