Lot Essay
The candelabras' jewelled tripod branches issue from tazze with palm-wrapped and pearl-wreathed stems, and support festive krater-vase nozzles. Love's sacred-urn surmounts the highest of three accompanying branches bearing 'Eternity' obelisks. The theme of Love's triumph and lyric poetry is celebrated by cameo bas reliefs on the heavenly-blue drums of the 'altar' pedestals.
The vignette of mourning 'Maria' accompanied by her pet dog was inspired by Laurence Sterne's Sentimental Journey of 1768, and derived from Lady Templetown's invention after a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, Maria and her dog Sylvio, 1777. Another vignette represents Erato, Muse of lyric poetry attending Apollo's altar (R. Reilly, Wedgwood, vol. I, London, 1989, pls. C132 and C133).
The glass pattern relates to that of a pair of Wedgwood candelabra that are likely to have been supplied to Queen Charlotte, who decorated a room at Frogmore, Windsor with scenes in the manner of Lady Templetown's 'paper cuts' published by Tomkins in 1790 (A. Kelly, Decorative Wedgwood, London, 1965, fig. 74; and J. Cornforth, 'Frogmore House - I', Country Life, 16 August 1990, p. 50).
A pair of related candelabra was sold anonymously, Christie's New York, 30 April 1997, lot 2.
The vignette of mourning 'Maria' accompanied by her pet dog was inspired by Laurence Sterne's Sentimental Journey of 1768, and derived from Lady Templetown's invention after a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, Maria and her dog Sylvio, 1777. Another vignette represents Erato, Muse of lyric poetry attending Apollo's altar (R. Reilly, Wedgwood, vol. I, London, 1989, pls. C132 and C133).
The glass pattern relates to that of a pair of Wedgwood candelabra that are likely to have been supplied to Queen Charlotte, who decorated a room at Frogmore, Windsor with scenes in the manner of Lady Templetown's 'paper cuts' published by Tomkins in 1790 (A. Kelly, Decorative Wedgwood, London, 1965, fig. 74; and J. Cornforth, 'Frogmore House - I', Country Life, 16 August 1990, p. 50).
A pair of related candelabra was sold anonymously, Christie's New York, 30 April 1997, lot 2.