Pair of three-light candelabra 1808 - 1809

This is a silver three-light candelabra, one of a pair, made by William Pitts in England sometime between 1790 and 1840. The figure supporting the lights is modeled after the classical Greek Caryatids, female figures used as architectural supports. The image creates meaning through the visual codes of luxury and status in British society. Silverware signalled wealth, and the neoclassical style reflected the aspirations of the British elite to identify with the republics of antiquity. But the work of extraction and manufacture that produced this object relied on a vast network of global trade and colonial exploitation. This was the time of the Industrial Revolution, and also the height of the British Empire. Understanding an artwork like this means looking to historical sources such as trade records, colonial archives, and family papers, and reflecting on how art embodies social and institutional history.