Candelabrum

Designer Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin British

Manufacturer Attributed to John Hardman & Co. British

after 1846

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 516

This monumental candelabrum exemplifies the designs of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugun (1812–1852), who was the leading exponent of the Gothic Revival style in England. Pugin’s work is central to the transformation in British design that began in the mid-nineteenth century. He admired what he saw as the honesty and purity of medieval art, and deplored the meaningless repetition of historical motifs. Pugin coined the phrase "Brumagen Gothic," referring to "those inexhaustible mines of bad taste, Birmingham." He designed fittings of all kinds including furniture, textiles and stained glass for church interiors, private homes and government buildings (most famously the House of Lords.) This candelabrum is related to the model he produced for the Palace of Westminster.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Candelabrum
Designer: Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (British, London 1812–1852 Ramsgate)
Manufacturer: Attributed to John Hardman & Co. (British)
Date: after 1846
Culture: British, Birmingham
Medium: Gilded brass, glass
Dimensions: wt. confirmed: 33 in., 12.6 lb. (83.8 cm, 5.7 kg)
Classification: Metalwork-Brass
Credit Line: Purchase, Barnard College Gift and funds from various donors, in honor of Danielle O. Kisluk-Grosheide; Marion E. Cohn and Susan Dwight Bliss Gifts, by exchange; The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, by exchange; funds from various donors, by exchange, 2015
Object Number: 2015.428
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

Bread plate, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin British, Earthenware, made using the encaustic process, British, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire — Bread plate
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin
Factory Minton(s)
ca. 1850

Six-light candelabrum (girandole) (one of a pair), Rock crystal, gilt bronze, silvered brass, iron, brass wire, glass, possibly Swedish — Six-light candelabrum (girandole) (one of a pair)
possibly Swedish
18th century style

Spoon holder, Christopher Dresser British, Scottish, Silver-plated brass, ebony, British, Birmingham or London — Spoon holder
Designer Design attributed to Christopher Dresser
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Bread Plate, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin British, Earthenware, British (American market) — Bread Plate
Designer Designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin
Manufacturer Manufactured by Minton and Company
ca. 1850

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