Candelabra
Rebecca Emes and Edward Barnard (fl.1808- 1829)
Category
Silver
Date
1818
Materials
Silver
Measurements
665 x 305 mm; 280 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
NT 516439
Caption
Rebecca Emes was a partner in one of the largest manufacturing silversmiths of its day. Emes and Barnard’s London workshop created pieces for its own aristocratic customers and also supplied major retailers, including the prestigious royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. Following the death of her husband, John (1762–1808), like Louisa Courtauld and many other women before her, Emes took over his business. Her first mark was registered in 1808, jointly with William Emes, her husband’s executor, probably to ease the process of arranging John’s estate. A few months later she registered her first mark with her partner, Edward Barnard (d.1855), who was a reliable and known hand, having previously worked as foreman of the company for John. Together, they developed a highly successful business, supplying silver across Britain and overseas, including to the USA and India. The range of products the firm created was impressive and meant it could capitalise on a market of wealthy buyers hungry for gleaming silver to adorn their homes. It also shifted cannily as styles and habits evolved, introducing new patterns and forms in response to consumer demand. Emes and Barnard produced tea and coffee sets; dining accoutrements for the fashionable table, such as cruets, tureens and toast racks; and more personal practical items, such as inkstands and chamber candlesticks. The towering centrepiece at Anglesey Abbey – which appears to be lifted up on the backs of three winged lions – would have been a magnificent conversation piece at dessert, as well as providing light for those gathered around the table (and fruit to be taken from the bowl).
Summary
Large silver gilt 6-light centre candelabrum, triangular plinth with foliage feet and winged lions supporting the baluster foliage stem with 6 scroll foliage branches with detachable nozzles, central foliage ring with cut glass dish with scalloped border. English by R. Emes and E. Barnard 1818. Hallmark on base.
Provenance
Bequeathed to the National Trust by Huttleston Rogers Broughton, 1st Lord Fairhaven (1896-1966) with the house and the rest of the contents.
Makers and roles
Rebecca Emes and Edward Barnard (fl.1808- 1829)
References
Conroy, Rachel, Women Artists and Designers at the National Trust, 2025, pp. 98-99