A pair of George III ormolu mounted Blue John candle-vases Matthew Boulton & John Fothergill, circa 1770

Please note that the W symbol has been removed from this lot. This lot will remain in New Bond Street after the sale.

Acquired from Norman Adams, London, (Grosvenor House Fair), June 1972;
Christie's London, 14 May 2003, lot 104 (£53,775 with premium);

C. Stevens and S. Whittington, 18th Century English Furniture, The Norman Adams Collection, Woodbridge, Rev. Ed. 1985, pp.456 and 477, pl.45.

RELATED LITERATURE:

N. Goodison, Matthew Boulton: Ormolu, London, 2002, pp. 302-304, pls. 272, 275 and 276.

The design and various decorative elements ornamenting these vases are closely related to a number of models preserved in Boulton and Fothergill's manuscript Pattern Books, particularly No. 859 on page 170 in the first volume. Fitted with reversible lids, the vases double as candlesticks and the bodies are of figured Derbyshire Blue John, a frequently used material in the firm's output.

Matthew Boulton and his partner, John Fothergill, founded their metalwork factory in Soho near Birmingham in 1760s. The firm produced fine quality silver, Sheffield plate and ormolu ornaments and received commissions from King George III and Empress Catherine the Great of Russia amongst other notables.  Vases accounted for the majority of the firm`s ormolu production, which also included inkstands, icepails, tripods, girandoles and obelisks.