Candelabrum for _Pompeian_ pattern dessert service

Closely** **related to a silver, silvergilt, and enamel candelabrum exhibited as part of the _Pompeian_ dessert service by English firm Frederick Elkington & Co. at the International Exhibition of 1862, this monumental candelabrum epitomizes the Neoclassical style popular in the mid-19th century. Originally part of a dessert service that included two tall tazzas and four short tazzas, the candelabrum is accompanied by a mirrored plateau featuring a band of anthemion, a decorative motif consisting of radiating petals common in ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Bands of anthemion likewise appear on the candelabrum, dividing it into three parts: base, stem, and branches. The main feature is the stem with three classical figures representing Agriculture, Commerce, and a priestess of the Temple of Peace positioned between three slender legs that terminate in scrolls and rosettes. Seven branches ornamented with scrolls, ivy leaves, and berries support seven sockets, the center of which holds a shallow glass bowl.

**Drawn from**

* Charles L. Venable, _Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor_ (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art; New York, New York; Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1994), 61, 330.
* Patricia Wardle, _Victorian Silver and Silver-Plate_ (New York: Thomas Nelson, 1963), 116.