The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

Pair of Candelabra Depicting Allegorical Figures of Liberty and Matrimony

Pair of Candelabra Depicting Allegorical Figures of Liberty and Matrimony

c. 1775
(Chelsea-Derby Period, 1770–84)
Part 1: 31.1 x 25.7 x 15.6 cm (12 1/4 x 10 1/8 x 6 1/8 in.); Part 2: 32.4 x 25.6 x 14.2 cm (12 3/4 x 10 1/16 x 5 9/16 in.)

Did You Know?

The canopy of foliage surrounding these figures was inspired by the arbors popular in theatrical stage designs during the mid-1700s.

Description

This pair of allegorical figures depicts the attributes of solitude and marriage as a shepherd and shepherdess adorned in richly patterned designs. Here “Liberty” (the shepherd), is accompanied by a dog and a bird that perches on his outstretched arm. In contrast “Matrimony” (the shepherdess) holds a birdcage in one hand and subtly directs the viewer’s gaze toward the sheep resting nearby with the other.
  • ?-1916
    Mary Warden Harkness [1864-1916], New York, NY, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1917-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • "Bequest of Mrs. Charles W. Harkness." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 4 (1917): 63. Mentioned: p. 63 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1925.
    Only Candelabrum with Shepherd and Dog (1917.627.2) reproduced. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 11 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1928.
    Only Candelabrum with Shepherd and Dog (1917.627.2) reproduced. Reproduced: p. 10 archive.org
    Milliken, William Mathewson. "European Porcelains Bequeathed by Mary Warden Harkness." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 15, no. 2 (February 1928): 57-59. 25137108
  • British Gallery Reinstallation (June 2020). The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    No legacy exhibitions.
    The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).
    Art of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9-December 2, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=Pair of Candelabra Depicting Allegorical Figures of Liberty and Matrimony|url=false|author=Derby Porcelain Factory|year=c. 1775|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.627