Pair of Candelabra
Unknown Artist
c. 1790–95
Medium
cut and polished steel with gold and silvered decoration
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.407,"width":0.248}}
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
2010.2
About this artwork
Founded in 1705 by Peter the Great, the armory at Tula developed steadily over the 18th century to become the center of Russian metalworking, especially in arms manufacturing. In the 1770s and 1780s, Catherine the Great took a keen interest in the work produced there, sending several of the most proficient craftsmen to England to study the decorative application of steel in armories in Sheffield and London. Subsequently, the Tula artisans surpassed the metalworkers in Britain and elsewhere in Eu...