Candelabrum with figures of Summer and Autumn (one of a pair)

Art Historical Context

This elegant candelabrum, one of a pair produced by the Bow Porcelain Factory in London around 1765, exemplifies the vibrant world of 18th-century British ceramics. Crafted from soft-paste porcelain—a pioneering English innovation blending clay, ground glass, and other materials to mimic the prized Chinese hard-paste porcelain—the piece stands at 9⅝ × 12½ inches. Adorned with lively figures representing Summer and Autumn, accompanied by men, women, and blooming flowers, it captures the playful Rococo style popular in Georgian England, where decorative arts graced aristocratic homes. The Bow Factory, active from the 1740s to 1770s, was among Britain's earliest porcelain manufacturers, competing with elite European centers like Meissen and Sèvres. Soft-paste allowed for intricate modeling and colorful enameling, techniques vividly employed here to personify the seasons in dynamic poses. Such candelabra provided both functional candlelight and sculptural flair, often displayed in symmetrical pairs to enhance opulent interiors. Today, this gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art from Irwin Untermyer in 1964 highlights Bow's artistic legacy. It invites visitors to appreciate how everyday luxury objects embodied cultural aspirations, blending whimsy with technical mastery in the decorative arts.

About the Artist

Bow Porcelain Factory · 1747–1776

The Bow Porcelain Factory, established around 1747 in East London near Bow and relocated by 1749 to "New Canton" east of the River Lea, emerged as one of England's pioneering soft-paste porcelain manufacturers, rivaling the Chelsea factory. Founded by merchant Edward Heylyn and Irish painter Thomas Frye, who secured key patents in 1744 and 1748–49 for using Cherokee kaolin and bone ash, the factor...