Lighting

Centered by a broad cut-glass dish within a gilt-metal frame, eight scrolling candle arms are fitted with cut-glass drip pans and hung with graduated faceted drops. Faceted glass chains rise to a cylindrical upper corona beneath a foliate gilt-metal canopy, with further drops suspended throughout. Distinctive eagle-headed gilt-metal mounts punctuate the central frame.

The deeply cut glass catches and disperses light across its many facets, producing the flashes of color and exceptional brilliance for which English Regency glass was prized.

Now fitted for electricity; otherwise original throughout.

Some objects are best seen in daylight. This one is quite the opposite—the minute the lights come on, everything changes. For me, the appeal is entirely in the light: every cut, drop, and facet suddenly has a reason for being there, and unlike so much lighting I come across, this has real age. It’s the real deal.

Blackened steel with 24-karat gold gilding

The elongated asymmetrical form recalls a futuristic skyline or industrial landscape, rising from a heavily textured pedestal base. Designed to hold multiple candles, the work occupies the space between sculpture and functional object. Traces of colored wax applied by the artist remain within several of the candle cups, adding subtle tonal variation and evidence of use.

Executed with heavily worked surfaces and layered patination, the candelabra presents a different profile from each viewpoint. The combination of blackened steel, gilding, and accumulated wax contributes significantly to its character.

James Bearden (American, b. 1964) is an abstract sculptor whose work explores the intersection of sculpture, architecture, and functional design. Working primarily in metal, Bearden has produced a number of ongoing series, including Cathedral, Assemblage, Voids, and Lunar Blooms. His work is held in corporate, municipal, and prominent private collections.