Ram's head torchere (one of a pair)

by-nc

Maker

(maker)
1700-1799

Title

Ram's head torchere (one of a pair)

Date of Production

1700 - 1799

Medium

medium : material : wood (Jamaican mahogany) & gilding

Dimensions

Width: 33.5 cm
Depth: 33.5 cm

Object Number

F.1932.SC.29

Mode of Acquisition

Samuel Courtauld, gift, 1932

Credit

Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Label Text

Lampstands, called ‘torchères’, usually carry candelabra and stand on either side of a table and mirror, reflecting light into a room. Their form and decoration are in line with the fashionable neoclassicism spreading across Europe at this time. Ornament like the rams’ heads, lions’ paws and stylised honeysuckle or palm branch, called an ‘anthemion’, were sourced directly from Ancient Greek and Roman examples. The shape of the torchères recalls Antique incense burners, and was popularised by the brilliant Scottish architect Robert Adam.

Provenance

Illustrated in Country Life, October 1932 p.465 ('The Front Drawing-Room or Music Room' (on back wall), Home House)

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