This piece is one of a set of ten individually-designed torchères commissioned for the Prince Regent and designed by Thomas Hopper. They were originally made for the cast-iron gothic Conservatory at Carlton House, the London residence of the Prince Regent, later George IV (1762-1830). The conservatory also housed Coade stone statues of kings, bishops and a pilgrim, and featured a central fountain with eight dragons. Each torchère would have held brass lamps with six burners and originally stood on a black marble plinth.

See the images of the Conservatory at Carlton House which show the torchères depicted in situ in the piers between the arched Gothic windows.

Kelly writes of the decoration for the conservatory by Coade and Sealy ‘In July of 1810. Some Statues were ready, “2 statues of ancient Kings and 2 do. Of Bishops and 1 statue of a Pilgrim for niches in the Conservatory.” They…seem reasonable at £96.12s.0d. – less than £20 each; but much dearer was a set of ten extraordinary Candelabra, the only survivors of all this fantastic ornament, which were sent at the same time… They supported brass lamps and stood on black marble plinths; probably it was these features which brought the cost of the Candelabra to £500.’ (Alison Kelly, Mrs Coade's Stone, p. 219-220).

Carlton House was demolished in 1827 and the torcheres were then moved to Windsor Castle where they graced the Coffee Room.

One of the torchères is illustrated in Geoffrey de Bellaigue and Pat Kirkham’s ‘George IV and the Furnishing of Windsor Castle’ which was published in ‘Furniture History: The Journal of the Furniture History Society’, Volume VIII, 1972, pp.1-34, pl. 13B. De Bellaigue and Kirkham comment that Morel and Seddon originally listed four candelabra to appear in ‘Room 240’ – the King’s Apartment. However, ‘eight were despatched to this room on 26 November 1827 by Morel and Seddon’. It is also noted that the candelabra were ‘restored and gilt’ by Morel and Seddon, with the gilding totalling a cost of £200 (ibid, p.28). In addition, ‘[t]he complete set of ten were fitted with new oil lamps, four for each candelabrum, by Messrs William and George Perry at an estimated cost of £10 per piece’ (ibid, p.28).

Of the ten original candelabra, six went to Leeds Castle following their purchase at Christie’s on 19 November 1970. One was sold at Christie’s in 1989, and bought for the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.’ (Item number NMW A 30042). One torchère is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Museum number: A.92-1980

Coade & Sealy: Coade & Sealy was founded by Eleanor Coade (1733 – 1821) around 1769 when she moved from Lyme Regis, Dorset to London and opened a factory in Lambeth making artificial stone. Artificial stone had been made by other manufacturers prior to this (Christie’s sold items made using this technique sold in 1767). Eleanor’s husband, George Coade died in 1768 but Eleanor ran the business with her nephew, John Sealy (1749-1813). Examples of the output from the firm can be found around the world including Canada, America, Brazil. Poland, Russia and the West Indies. Notable items include gate piers for Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill (1772); a statue of Nelson in Montreal (1808); a model of a ship for the entrance of the West India Docks in 1804; the west window of Exeter Cathedral around 1809; and the tympanum of the west pediment of Greenwich Palace (completed in 1813) which was 40 feet long and around 9 feet high. On Mrs Coade’s death, she was succeeded by her daughter. Coade and Sealy was active until 1833.

Coade Stone: originally known as ‘Lithodipyra’ or ‘Lithodipra’ (‘stone fired twice’) is a cast artficial stone – a ceramic-type material. As such, it could be easily reproduced with crisp details and weathered better than other forms of sculpture. In one of her advertisements, Eleanor Coade claimed it had ‘a property peculiar to itself of resisting the frost and consequently of retaining that sharpness I which it excels every kind of stone sculpture.’ (Rupert Gunnis, ‘Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851’, The Abbey Library, 1968, p.105). The technique meant that all manner of sculptures, seating, decorative and architectural items could be made for a fraction of the cost of sculpted stone.

Thomas Hopper (1776-1856) was an architect and designer who famously said 'it is an architect's business to understand all styles, and to be prejudiced in favour of none.'