Lot 130
130
A PAIR OF LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE FRENCH GILT-BRONZE AND CUT-GLASS MOUNTED THIRTY-LIGHT CHANDELIERS
All sold and unsold lots marked with a filled squa… Read more
A PAIR OF LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE FRENCH GILT-BRONZE AND CUT-GLASS MOUNTED THIRTY-LIGHT CHANDELIERS

DESIGNED BY GEORGE HOENTSCHEL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MEWES AND DAVIS, EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Details
A PAIR OF LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE FRENCH GILT-BRONZE AND CUT-GLASS MOUNTED THIRTY-LIGHT CHANDELIERS
DESIGNED BY GEORGE HOENTSCHEL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MEWES AND DAVIS, EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Each of cartouche outline with faceted glass baluster shaft, the upper tier issuing berried branches above downward swept arms with hexagonal spire finials and branches terminating with griffin heads supporting candle nozzles, hung overall with faceted swags and pendants, scallop cut drops, flower-heads and pear-shaped drops with a large ball finial, fitted for electricity
80 in. (203 cm.) high; 42 in. (107 cm.) diameter
Provenance
Sir Julius Wernher, 1st Bt. (1850-1912), Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire, by whom bequeathed, through his widow
Alice, Lady Wernher, subsequently Lady Ludlow (1862-1945), to their son
Sir Harold, 3 Bt., G.C.V.O. (1893-1973), Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire, and by decent.
Special notice
All sold and unsold lots marked with a filled square in the catalogue that are not cleared from Christie’s by 5:00 pm on the day of the sale, and all sold and unsold lots not cleared from Christie’s by 5:00 pm on the fifth Friday following the sale, will be removed to the warehouse of ‘Cadogan Tate’. Please note that there will be no charge to purchasers who collect their lots within two weeks of this sale.

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Lot Essay

This impressive pair of chandeliers epitomise the so-called ‘French Touch’ the Wernher's wished to create for their estate at Luton Hoo. Hoentschel’s acclaimed luxurious style in partnership with the architects Mewès and Davis is embodied in the opulent scale and quality of the present lot. A drawing from the Luton Hoo archive of the chandeliers that formerly hung in the Dining Room at Luton Hoo designed by Charles Mewès in 1906 in the French 18th century style display similarities in both the design and the fine quality bronze casting hung with faceted crystal drops. The drawing has the stamp of the architectural firm of Charles Mewès on the reverse as well as a hand-written inscription ‘ Lustre de la Salle á Manger’. The present lot in both design and manufacture reflects the design capabilities of Mewès and Davis whose grand design project at Luton Hoo recreated the decoration of the Ancien Régime and the superior craftsmanship of the firm of Maison Leys under the direction of George Hoentschel.

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