A Three-Light Suspended Argand

England
Circa 1815

This beautiful three-light suspended argand exhibits the elegant sophistication of the early Regency period. Link and ring chains are suspended from a delicate canopy composed of cast leaves and beaded details. The fluted and stop-fluted font has a band of foliate stamped rosettes and is topped with a pineapple finial.  A frame holds a very fine cut glass dish ornamented with a guilloche band. The hooks for the chains are decorated with cast rosettes.  A large cast pineapple finial secures the glass dish. A similar chandelier was lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art to the exhibition, Classical America 1815-1845, in 1963 and is illustrated in the catalogue, plate 194. In addition, a similar suspended argand is depicted in the famous painting, “The Dinner Party,” painted by Henry Sargent about 1821, now at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The painting is often referenced to illustrate how elegant Bostonians furnished their homes during the Classical period.

Bronze, brass, and glass
Height: 39 ¼” Diameter: 16 ½”
D1102