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拍品專文
These bronze tripod torcheres are conceived as Roman bronze candelabrum in the antique manner promoted by the Rome-trained architect C.H. Tatham's Etchings of Ancient Ornamental Architecture, 1799 and subsequently adopted in Thomas Hope's Household Furniture and Interior Decoration of 1801, pl. XXVI.
These torcheres are identical to that supplied to William, 6th Duke of Devonshire (d.1858) for the Painted Hall at Chatsworth around 1820, under the direction of the architect Sir Jeffrey Wyattville. The Duke noted in his handbook that Laguerre's Painted Hall had become a 'dark, dismal place' and he commissioned the torchere with its tiered candelabrum to illuminate the room (sold by the Duke of Devonshire, Sotheby's Chatsworth House sale, 5-7 October 2010, lot 484). Identical torcheres were also supplied to Abbots Ripton Hall, Cambridgeshire and Harewood House, Yorkshire.
Although the author of the Chatsworth torchere is undocumented, arguably the key contender is William Collins of 227 Strand. In 1823, Collins supplied candelabra to the 3rd Duke of Northumberland for Northumberland House, London that displayed closely similar scrolled acanthus and gadrooned wells. Collins' account survives in the Northumberland Archives at Alnwick Castle (U.111.8d): '1823 May '23 4 Superb Chandeliers executed in Grecian Metal in the Drawing Room, Saloon, Anti Room and Grand Staircase 2700.0.0.'. The Northumberland candelabra were sold at Christie's London, 17 November 1988, lot 105 - at the same time as two smaller centrepieces, one of which was inscribed in the inside of the bowl 'MANUFACTURED BY JOHNSTON. BROOKES & CO. 32 NEW STREET SQUARE FOR WM. COLLINS 227 STRAND. 1823'.
Similarly ambitious bronze torcheres for candelabra were also being manufactured by Messrs. Vulliamy & Son, who also collaborated with the Wyatt dynasty, such as the candelabra supplied to Charles Kinnaird, 8th Lord Kinnaird (d.1826), inscribed: 'Designed and executed by Vulliamy & Son' and invoiced as 'copied from an Antique Altar'. Thomas Brownley was employed by Vulliamy to make a 'pattern of the pillar to determine the height'. They were included in Vulliamy's Ornament Book no. 1' for 7 October 1806, where it was noted that the carving of the model was to be carried out by Hess; the casting by the brass-founder Barnet; the filing and 'riffling' by Couling, and the chasing by Caney, Harrison and Lacey. The firm of George Penton & Co. assembled the various parts and fitted them with 'patent fountain lamps with three burners'. A founder named Johnson or Johnston - presumably the Johnston Brookes and Co. of the Northumberland commission - then bronzed the metalwork, and the two initial pairs were completed by April 1808, when they were described in the Vulliamy Day Book as 'very Large Bronze Candelabras...designed from - the Antique each Candelabra is composed of a rich circular Basse ornaments with Rams heads & carried by three Claw feet supporting a very rich hycanthus flower with a triple set of Leaves & the Main Stem of the Candelabra issuing out of the center of the flower the Stem is reeded & finished by the Cap of the flower with 3 leaves springing from under it.' (R.Smith, 'Vulliamy and the Kinnaird candelabra', Apollo, January, 1997, pp.30-34.) A single candelabrum, 'similar to Lord Kinnaird's' was later supplied to Lord Brownlow of Belton and invoiced in 1811.
These torcheres are identical to that supplied to William, 6th Duke of Devonshire (d.1858) for the Painted Hall at Chatsworth around 1820, under the direction of the architect Sir Jeffrey Wyattville. The Duke noted in his handbook that Laguerre's Painted Hall had become a 'dark, dismal place' and he commissioned the torchere with its tiered candelabrum to illuminate the room (sold by the Duke of Devonshire, Sotheby's Chatsworth House sale, 5-7 October 2010, lot 484). Identical torcheres were also supplied to Abbots Ripton Hall, Cambridgeshire and Harewood House, Yorkshire.
Although the author of the Chatsworth torchere is undocumented, arguably the key contender is William Collins of 227 Strand. In 1823, Collins supplied candelabra to the 3rd Duke of Northumberland for Northumberland House, London that displayed closely similar scrolled acanthus and gadrooned wells. Collins' account survives in the Northumberland Archives at Alnwick Castle (U.111.8d): '1823 May '23 4 Superb Chandeliers executed in Grecian Metal in the Drawing Room, Saloon, Anti Room and Grand Staircase 2700.0.0.'. The Northumberland candelabra were sold at Christie's London, 17 November 1988, lot 105 - at the same time as two smaller centrepieces, one of which was inscribed in the inside of the bowl 'MANUFACTURED BY JOHNSTON. BROOKES & CO. 32 NEW STREET SQUARE FOR WM. COLLINS 227 STRAND. 1823'.
Similarly ambitious bronze torcheres for candelabra were also being manufactured by Messrs. Vulliamy & Son, who also collaborated with the Wyatt dynasty, such as the candelabra supplied to Charles Kinnaird, 8th Lord Kinnaird (d.1826), inscribed: 'Designed and executed by Vulliamy & Son' and invoiced as 'copied from an Antique Altar'. Thomas Brownley was employed by Vulliamy to make a 'pattern of the pillar to determine the height'. They were included in Vulliamy's Ornament Book no. 1' for 7 October 1806, where it was noted that the carving of the model was to be carried out by Hess; the casting by the brass-founder Barnet; the filing and 'riffling' by Couling, and the chasing by Caney, Harrison and Lacey. The firm of George Penton & Co. assembled the various parts and fitted them with 'patent fountain lamps with three burners'. A founder named Johnson or Johnston - presumably the Johnston Brookes and Co. of the Northumberland commission - then bronzed the metalwork, and the two initial pairs were completed by April 1808, when they were described in the Vulliamy Day Book as 'very Large Bronze Candelabras...designed from - the Antique each Candelabra is composed of a rich circular Basse ornaments with Rams heads & carried by three Claw feet supporting a very rich hycanthus flower with a triple set of Leaves & the Main Stem of the Candelabra issuing out of the center of the flower the Stem is reeded & finished by the Cap of the flower with 3 leaves springing from under it.' (R.Smith, 'Vulliamy and the Kinnaird candelabra', Apollo, January, 1997, pp.30-34.) A single candelabrum, 'similar to Lord Kinnaird's' was later supplied to Lord Brownlow of Belton and invoiced in 1811.