BY MATTHEW BOULTTON, CIRCA 1770

THE MODEL
The production of vases accounted for the majority of Boulton and Fothergill's ormolu business, some of which took the form of perfume burners, candelabra, or, as in this instance, candle-holders. These vases, with candle-nozzles concealed in their reversible lids, comprise festive Grecian-stepped altar-pillars that are hung with bacchic lion-heads and capped by laurel-wreathed sacred urns evoking lyric poetry and sacrifices at love's altar. They were designed by Matthew Boulton as appropriate embellishment for the furnishings of a room decorated either in the French goût grec fashion or in the Etruscan 'columbarium' fashion promoted by Robert Adam (d.1792).

This pattern is clearly a precursor to, or an evolution of, the 'Cleopatra' vase, one of Boulton and Fothergill's early designs from 1769-70. The vase itself remains the same, retaining its fluted stem and Greek-key base, but it is now elevated on a circular blue john pedestal adorned with lions' masks and laurel swags. This enlarged pedestal provided a broader surface on which to display the variegated beauty of blue john to greater effect. Below, the pedestal sits on a two-step circular blue john plinth decorated with pierced guilloche ormolu bands (Goodison, Matthew Boulton: Ormolu, London, 2002, pp. 297-298). The round two-step base also appears on the 'Lyre' vase model.

Based on the description, it is possible that this model appeared in Boulton's sale at Christie's in April 1771 (ibid., p. 182). A 'candlestick vase' with an 'old round step foot' is listed in one of the firm's workshop inventories of 1782. The use of the term 'old' is notable, as it suggests that this type of vase was no longer in production by the end of the previous decade (ibid., pp. 284-285). If so, the reason may lie in the technical challenges of constructing the circular blue john pedestal, which is formed as a hollow cylinder. Producing it in this manner likely required the blue john to be massed together, turned, and then drilled. The failure rate for such a demanding process must have been high.

RELATED EXAMPLES
A pair of this model is in the Royal Collection (RCIN 5946), noted as having been acquired by Queen Mary (1867-1953) in 1927. The finials on the lids are also identical to those on the present pair (ibid., p. 297, pl. 260).

Other pairs in fluorspar sold at auction include:

1. A Distinguished Private Collection, Christie's, New York, 24 October 2017, lot 59 (the finials possibly replaced). The provenance for this pair at the time of the 2017 sale was as follows: with Frank Partridge, London, 1972; with William Redford, London, 1974; anonymous sale, Sotheby's, New York, 21 November 1981, lot 149; S. Jon Gerstenfeld, Christie's, London, 25 November 2004, lot 60 (£106,500); acquired from Partridge, London.

2. The Collection of Denys Sutton, Christie's, New York, 15 April 2005, lot 212 ($120,000).

3. The Garrity Collection, Christie's, London, 8 June 2006, lot 73 (executed in 'Tiger Stone' rather than blue john) (£243,200). This is possibly the pair acquired from Boulton and Fothergill by William, 6th Baron Craven of Berkeley Square, London, and Coombe Abbey, Warwickshire. Although only an occasional visitor to Soho House, he is recorded there between 1769-1780 and purchased dressing-boxes and vases in 1771. His descendant William, 4th Earl of Craven (d. 1921), is said to have given these vases to his wife, Countess Cornelia (d. 1961), who later presented them to her brother, Bradley Martin. They were inherited by his son, Esmond Bradley Martin, and sold from his estate, Sotheby's, New York, 30 October 2002, lot 176 ($196,500).

COLONEL H. H. MULLINER (1861-1924)
Although the early provenance of these candle-vases has yet to be identified, they were part of the distinguished early 20th century collection formed by Colonel Herbert Hall Mulliner. A man of considerable discernment, Mulliner devoted himself to assembling a comprehensive survey of English decorative arts, intended to demonstrate their development from the Restoration of the mid-17th century to the early years of George III, a period then underrepresented in national collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum.

A portion of his exemplary collection was exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1920 and documented in a privately printed catalogue raisonné. This publication was later expanded by H. Batsford and issued under the title H. H. Mulliner, The Decorative Arts in England; 1660-1780. J. Starkie Gardner described it as 'the most important contribution yet offered towards the study of English decorative Art'. This pair of candle-vases appears in the volume, illustrated on plate 168.

In 1917, Mulliner purchased Rainham Hall, a Georgian merchant's house built in 1729, intending to restore it to use as a setting for his collection. He embarked on an ambitious program of renovation, but his sudden death in 1924 prevented him from ever taking up residence.

The important collection of English furniture, objects of art, and tapestries formed by Mulliner was sold at Christie's, London, 10 July 1924, where this pair of candle-vases appeared as lot 39. Today, works from his distinguished collection are represented in major public institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The present lot is among several items with Mulliner provenance in the Irene Roosevelt Aitken collection.