Design for a Candelabra

Anonymous, French, 18th century

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The idea of using the elements from nature to shape the design of an object is also reflected in this French design for a candelabrum. Its body is shaped like a plant with three stems, growing in different directions and forming the arms to support the candles. Three children or cherubs are playing at the foot of the stem. Designs like this one were often executed in gilt bronze combined with porcelain, making them into very colorful additions to the interior decor. In France the national porcelain manufacturer Sèvres brought many comparable pieces onto the market, but the type was very popular throughout Europe and very similar examples were also being produced in Germany (Meissen) and Great Britain (Chelsea Porcelain Factory).

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art