The Grand Service
George IV's spectacular silver-gilt dining service and buffet
The Apples of the Hesperides candelabrum (part of The Grand Service)
1810-17RCIN 51976
This candelabrum and its pair (RCIN 51977) are the largest and most magnificent in George IV's Grand Service. Rundells' artists made use of Renaissance and classical sources for the design and the overall form is similar to the sculptural bronze tripods made in Venice during the sixteenth century. The scene around the stem shows the last of the Twelve Labours of Hercules: the serpent Ladon guards the golden apples of the Hesperides, which Hercules must steal, and around the base are fauns and panthers.
One of the designers of this piece, John Flaxman, was so preoccupied with the elaborate design that he originally forgot to add the candelabrum's most crucial part: the candle branches.