Design for a Candelabra
19th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink
Dimensions
sheet: 8 7/8 x 5 1/8 in. (22.5 x 13 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1966
Accession Number
66.631.92
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate pen and brown ink drawing, titled *Design for a Candel*, hails from 19th-century France, created by an anonymous artist whose work captures the era's fascination with elegant decorative arts. Measuring just 8 7/8 x 5 1/8 inches, the sheet showcases a precise sketch of a candelabra with graceful swans—motifs evoking purity, beauty, and classical mythology. Such designs were essential blueprints for silversmiths and metalworkers, bridging the gap between artistic vision and luxurious home furnishings. In the 19th century, France led Europe in opulent design, influenced by revivals...
About the Artist
Anonymous, French, 19th century · 1800–1900
**Anonymous, French, 19th Century (ca. 1800–1900)** The artist cataloged as Anonymous, French, 19th century embodies the enigmatic yet essential contributions of unidentified creators to France's vibrant 19th-century art world. Active roughly between 1800 and 1900, this figure—or potentially collective workshop—produced a diverse array of works amid the nation's transition from Neoclassicism thro...