BY MATTHEW BOULTON, CIRCA 1769-70

Details

A GEORGE III ORMOLU AND BLUE JOHN TWO-LIGHT VASE CANDELABRUM
BY MATTHEW BOULTON, CIRCA 1769-70
The pierced lid with flaming finial over an ovoid body with pierced anthemion and acanthus border over husk swags, two looping foliate-cast arms, on swirling fluted and guilloche-cast foot on a later square ebony base, pierced for electricity and consequently with later sections of 1⁄4-inch to the bases of nozzles and drip pans, one nozzle with later socle, later liner
16 ¾ in. (42.6 cm.) high, 13 ½ in. (34.3 cm.) wide

Provenance

Acquired by William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam (1748-1833) at Matthew Boulton's sale at Christie's, London, 13 April 1771 (the third day), lot 60.
Thence by descent in the family at Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire,
Until sold; Wentworth; Christie's, London, 8 July 1998, lot 61.
With Frank Partridge, London.
Acquired by Irene Roosevelt Aitken from the above at the International Antique Dealers Show, New York, in October 2010.

Literature

N. Goodison, Ormolu: The Work of Matthew Boulton, London, 1974, pp. 38, 147, 223.
N. Goodison, Matthew Boulton: Ormolu, London, 2002, pp. 287 and 397.

Exhibited

New York, International Antique Dealers Show, October 2010 (with Partridge).

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Elizabeth Seigel Vice President, Specialist, Head of Private and Iconic Collections

eseigel@christies.com +1 212 484 4812

Lot Essay

THE WENTWORTH PROVENANCE
In April 1771, James Christie staged Matthew Boulton's speculative auction in his Pall Mall Great Room: 'A Catalogue of the Superb and elegant produce Of Messrs Boulton and Fothergill's Ormolu Manufactory, At Soho, in Staffordshire; Consisting of A variety of the most beautiful and rich articles, comprehending vases of exquisite shapes, clock-cases, candle-branches, essence pots, and many other ornaments, Which will be sold by auction, By Mr. Christie...'.

This candelabrum-vase appeared on the third day of the sale as lot 60, described as: 'A vase radix amethysti and ormolu, lined with silver and perferated for essence, with ornaments in the antique taste and branches for two candles'. It was purchased by 'Ld Fitzwilliam', as in William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam (1748-1833), and miraculously remained at the family's country estate in South Yorkshire, Wentworth-Woodhouse, until it was sold in the 'Wentworth' sale; Christie's, London, 8 July 1998, lot 61.

Because this candelabrum was originally included in the 1771 sale at Christie's, it must have been among the early products produced by Boulton and Fothergill's firm c. 1769-70 (Goodison, Matthew Boulton: Ormolu, London, 2002, p. 286).

THE DESIGN
The precise source of the design for the Wentworth candelabrum is not known, although Matthew Boulton apparently had a habit of borrowing and reinterpreting the designs of others. It is therefore unsurprising that this candelabrum relates to a pattern almost certainly devised in the mid-1750s by the architect James 'Athenian' Stuart (d. 1788) for a pair of ormolu candelabra created for his celebrated interiors at Spencer House (sold in The Spencer House Sale; Christie’s, London, 8 July 2010, lot 1003). Indeed, the Wentworth candelabrum shares notable similarities with the Spencer House pair, including the circular looped candle-branches, Vitruvian-scroll rim, and the most significant parallel, the identical design of the astragal-fluted spiral stem with its floral collar (ibid., p. 76). See lot 521 in the Irene Roosevelt Aitken collection for a closely related pair of blue john vase candelabra, sharing the same body design as the present vase but with a different arm pattern.

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