A PAIR OF EMPIRE ORMOLU AND PATINATED-BRONZE THREE-LIGHT CANDELABRA

These candelabra exemplify the revived fashion for chinoiserie as promoted by the Prince of Wales (later George IV) during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Prince's interest in Chinese decoration was first expressed in his Chinese Drawing Room at Carlton House decorated under the auspices of Henry Holland and Dominique Daguerre. They are reminiscent of some of the objets imported from the continent and further afield for this room, such as a group of candelabra with Chinese figures and dragon finials (exhibited in Carlton House: The Past Glories of George IV's Palace, The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, 1991-1992, illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, p. 105, fig. 57).