On the first day of Christmas the 1862 Committee gave to me… a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Ferdinand Barbedienne, Candelabra, Paris, 1862, gilt bronze, Victoria and Albert Museum, 8030-1862 © V&A, 2013
Vast. Bombastic. Opulent. Extravagant. Luxurious. These are perhaps some of the best words to describe many of the objects that were displayed at the 1862 International Exhibition. Intended as a celebration of the best in contemporary design, the exhibition was full of over-sized ceramics, metalware and furniture – not to mention machines, inventions and decorative majolica fountains! This gilt bronze candelabra, standing 76.60 cm high and spanning 36.50 cm wide is a perfect example of these extravagances. Fluttering at the top of this metal tree is (admittedly not a partridge) a phoenix rising from the ashes – the pinnacle of celebrations about revival and renewal. Design was on its way up in 1862.
© Helen Cresswell and Ruth Mason, 2013