Candelabrum Depicting an Allegorical Figure of Liberty

c. 1775

Candelabrum Depicting an Allegorical Figure of Liberty, c. 1775. Derby Porcelain Factory (Chelsea-Derby Period, 1770–84). Soft-paste porcelain; overall: 32.4 x 25.6 x 14.2 cm (12 3/4 x 10 1/16 x 5 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mary Warden Harkness 1917.627.2 This allegorical figure depicts a shepherd dressed in richly patterned garments. Here the figure (Liberty) is accompanied by a dog and a bird that perches on his outstretched arm. An accompanying figure, a shepherdess (Matrimony) holds a birdcage in one hand and subtly directs the viewer’s gaze toward the sheep resting nearby with the other. The canopy of foliage surrounding these figures was inspired by the arbors popular in theatrical stage designs during the mid-1700s.