A PAIR OF GEORGE III ORMOLU AND BLUE JOHN CANDLE VASES

These candle-vases, the stone of which is possibly from the 'Bull Beef' vein of the blue john mine, follow the sketch in Boulton's factory pattern book numbered '859' on page 170 (N. Goodison, Matthew Boulton: Ormolu, 2002, p. 304, pl. 275). The finials are reversible and the nozzles are a popular Boulton feature that appear on other candle-vases. A pair of these vases based on sketch '859' was in stock at Richard Bentley's workshop in Soho in 1782, listed as '1 pair vases 859 blue john bodies ready to gild £2 3s 0d' (ibid., p. 284). Richard Bentley was noted as having the 'management' of the ormolu department in 1770 and by 1782 was clearly the chief craftsman at Soho (ibid., p. 150). The Goodison Collection also includes a pair of candle vases corresponding closely to this design, but in white marble and with cylindrical plinths, which are lot 107 in this catalogue (ibid., pl. 276). An identical pair to these, also interestingly with discolouration to the marble, probably caused by the internal metalwork becoming wet and rust seeping into the stone, was previously with Apter-Fredericks, sold Christie's, London, 19 January 2021, lot 11 (£13,750 inc. premium).

Mrs A.E. Gell was a collector of blue john and the sale of her property at Sotheby's in 1975 included sixteen lots of various ornaments including four attributable to Boulton & Fothergill: a pair of goat's head vases (lot 40) similar to those in the Goodison Collection; a pastille burner once owned by the Marquis of Lansdowne of the same model as a pair supplied by Boulton & Fothergill to George III in 1771 and now at Windsor (RCIN 6095; lot 42); and a pair of 'Cleopatra' candle vases (lot 43).