Bruno Paul
Candelabrum

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Designer Bruno Paul (German, 1874–1968)German, 1874–1968

Designer Vereinigte Werkstätten für Kunst im Handwerk (German, established 1897)German, established 1897

ManufacturerManufactured by K. M. Seifert & Co. (German)German

CultureGerman

Titles

Candelabrum

Date1901

PlaceMunich, Germany

PlaceDresden-Löbtau, Germany

PlaceDresden, Germany

MediumBrass

DimensionsOverall: 15 3/4 × 27 3/4in. (40 × 70.5cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Roger Ager Collection, Liberty, Texas

Object number2000.589.A-.M

Not on view

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Department

Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Object Type

METALWORK

DescriptionThis monumental candelabrum is one of the few non-furniture objects designed by Bruno Paul, a painter, illustrator, and furniture and interior designer who came of age in Munich during the reign of Art Nouveau style. The candelabrum was sold in several sizes by the Vereinigte Werkstätten between 1901 and 1914. It fully embodies the expression of the German Art Nouveau style, and its importance as an indicator of the style has given it status as an icon of the period. The candelabrum consists of a central shaft that rises from a stepped circular base, and 12 arms that swivel and are arranged in length and height to form graduated tiers. The composition is like that of a tree, or—as some have observed—a stylized peacock.

Provenance[Historical Design, Inc., New York]; purchased by MFAH, 2000.
Exhibition History"Recent Accessions in Modern and Contemporary Design", MFA,H, Alice Pratt Brown Garden Gallery, August 27, 2005 - March 5, 2006.

"Circa 1900: Decorative Arts at the Turn of the Century," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Alice Pratt Brown Gallery, February 26-July 31, 2011.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

There are no marks or inscriptions on the candelabrum.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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