POSSIBLY EUROPEAN, EARLY 19TH CENTURY

This pair of candleabra exemplifies the revived fashion for chinoiserie as promoted by the Prince of Wales (later George IV) during the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. The Prince's interest in Chinese decoration was first expressed in his Chinese Drawing Room at Carlton House decorated under the auspices of Henry Holland and Dominique Daguerre. They are reminiscent of some of the objets imported for this room, such as a group of candleabra with Chinese figures and dragon finials (exhibited in Carlton House: The Past Glories of George IV's Palace, The Queen's Gallery, Buckinham Palace, 1991-1992, illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, p. 105, fig. 57).