Ram's head torchere (one of a pair)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Photo © Courtauld
Photo © Courtauld
Maker
(maker)
1700-1799
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
Depth: 33.5 cm
Object Number
F.1932.SC.29
Mode of Acquisition
Samuel Courtauld, gift, 1932
Credit
Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Location
Not currently on display
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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