Pair of George II Figural Candlesticks
Francis Nelme, Pair of George II Figural Candlesticks, 1730, silver, Museum Purchase: The William H. Nunn Trust Fund, established in memory of his wife, Alice B. Nunn, public domain, 2012.82.1a,b
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Pair of George II Figural Candlesticks
- Artist
- Date
1730
- Medium
silver
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
8 in x 5 in x 5 in
- Collection Area
Western Decorative Art
- Category
Silver
- Object Type
candlestick
- Culture
English
- Credit Line
Museum Purchase: The William H. Nunn Trust Fund, established in memory of his wife, Alice B. Nunn
- Accession Number
2012.82.1a,b
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
Made by one of London’s finest silversmiths, these candlesticks epitomize the culture of slavery in eighteenth-century Europe and America. The presentation of human degradation in exquisitely worked silver serves as a chilling reminder of the blind greed of those who profited from the institution of slavery. The candlesticks bear the crest of the Thruston family, which had prospered in Virginia since the 1680s, in part through the subjugation of Africans. Such objects once graced the tables of many slave holders, but after abolition in the British Empire in 1833, and in the United States in 1865, they became distasteful and many were melted down. The Museum acquired these rare works in the belief that the role of art in this horrific episode in human history should not be forgotten.
