An Exceptionally Rare English Giltwood Chandelier. Attributed to Moore & Gumley

English giltwood chandeliers of this period, calibre, and condition are exceedingly rare. The present example belongs to a distinguished and highly select group of early 18th-century chandeliers attributed to the royal cabinet-makers James Moore and John Gumley, whose work played a central role in shaping the grand decorative schemes of the English court during the early Georgian era.

James Moore, appointed “Joyner and Cabinetmaker in Ordinary” to George I, was among the most influential figures in English interior decoration in the 1710s and 1720s. His career flourished under the patronage of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, for whom he furnished much of Blenheim Palace. Known for his bold and richly carved giltwood furniture, Moore helped to establish a distinctly English adaptation of the late Baroque style. He was closely associated with the Office of Works and responsible for supplying furnishings for numerous royal residences.

John Gumley, a skilled cabinet-maker and entrepreneur, was Moore’s frequent collaborator and partner in several high-profile commissions. Together, they were responsible for outfitting St. James’s Palace, Hampton Court, and Kensington Palace, among others. Gumley was also appointed “Glass Grinder and Cabinet Maker” to the Crown, and he specialised in the supply of large pier glasses, ornate frames, and elaborately carved giltwood furniture. Their combined output reflects the high refinement and theatrical grandeur favoured by the early Hanoverian court.

A closely related set of six chandeliers was supplied—almost certainly by Moore and Gumley—for the Queen’s Gallery at Kensington Palace. These remained at the palace until the late 19th century, when three were acquired by Sir Spencer Ponsonby-Fane for Brympton d’Evercy, Somerset. One of those examples is now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (W.28-1959) and remains on long-term loan to Kensington Palace.

Another pair of related chandeliers, also attributed to Moore and Gumley, was supplied for the State Apartments at Holme Lacy, Herefordshire. One of these was sold at Christie’s New York, 21 April 1995, lot 243, for $715,000, and now hangs in the reconstructed Kirtlington Park dining room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1995.141).

Further comparisons can be drawn with a c.1730 chandelier attributed to Henry Flitcroft and Matthias Lock, originally from St. Giles House, and sold in the Ann and Gordon Getty Collection at Christie’s New York (20 October 2022, lot 45; USD 441,000).

Perhaps most closely comparable to the present piece is a giltwood chandelier in the King’s Eating Room at Hampton Court Palace (RCIN 1018), also attributed to Moore, with similar carving, structure, and scale—suggesting production within the same elite workshop milieu.

The origins of this distinct English chandelier type lie in the sinuous arabesques and dynamic forms of late Louis XIV and Régence design. The present model reflects the influence of André-Charles Boulle, whose work is illustrated by Ottomeyer and Pröschel in Vergoldete Bronzen, including a set of four chandeliers in the Bibliothèque Mazarine that echo the form and ornamentation seen here. A further gilt-bronze example by Boulle is held by the V&A (965-1882).

The transmission of these French forms into English decorative arts was in large part due to the influence of Daniel Marot, the Huguenot architect and designer who settled in London after fleeing France. Marot’s designs for chandeliers, as published in his Nouveau Livre d’Orfevrie Inventé par Marot, Architecte du Roy… (1701–03), provided direct models for English interpretation. However, while French chandeliers of this period were typically cast in gilt bronze, their English counterparts were executed in carved and gilded wood—a material that allowed for lighter forms and, arguably, a greater refinement of silhouette, though far fewer survive today.

A particularly arresting feature of this chandelier is the gilded wyvern surmounting its crown, almost certainly an heraldic emblem. While wyverns appear in the armorial bearings of several noble families, two notable contemporaneous patrons stand out: William, 2nd Marquess of Powis (1665–1745) and Thomas, 8th Earl of Pembroke (1656–1733), both of whom maintained grand houses and were active patrons of the decorative arts. It is plausible the chandelier was commissioned for one of these dynastic houses.

From the early 1970s until 2005, it formed part of the celebrated collection of Doris Duke (1912–1993), heiress to a vast fortune and widely known as “the richest girl in the world.” A noted philanthropist, adventurer, and connoisseur, Duke assembled one of the most ambitious and eclectic collections of fine and decorative arts in America. The chandelier was installed at Duke Farms, her principal residence in New Jersey, where it can be seen hanging in situ in the photograph above—a striking testament to its enduring grandeur and decorative presence.