Candelabrum Depicting an Allegorical Figure of Matrimony

c. 1775

Candelabrum Depicting an Allegorical Figure of Matrimony, c. 1775. Derby Porcelain Factory (Chelsea-Derby Period, 1770–84). Soft-paste porcelain; overall: 31.1 x 25.7 x 15.6 cm (12 1/4 x 10 1/8 x 6 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mary Warden Harkness 1917.627.1 This allegorical figure depicts a shepherdess dressed in richly patterned garments. Here the figure (Matrimony) holds a birdcage in one hand and subtly directs the viewer’s gaze toward the sheep resting nearby with the other. An accompanying figure, a shepherd (Liberty) is joined by a dog and a bird that perches on his outstretched arm. The canopy of foliage surrounding these figures was inspired by the arbors popular in theatrical stage designs during the mid-1700s.