Summer 2017

Summer 104 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Candelabrum, Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co., Newark, N.J., 1900; marked Tiffany & Co. Sterling silver. H. 28½, W. 22⅛, D. 12½ in. Purchase 2011 Helen McMahon Brady Cutting Fund (2011.1.2.1). Sometimes it is clear that the sole purpose of a piece of silver was simply a material expression intended to send a clear signal about the wealth of its owner. “I can afford to own this and you can’t” was the unspoken message. Not a noble idea, but a very human one. A large seven- light candelabrum, one of two owned by the museum, was designed by Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co. to display at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Farnham’s grandiose candleholder was described as “George III,” and designed to appeal to Americans who preferred to associate themselves more with European aristocracy than with modern design. The candelabrum is included in the “Showing Off” section of the installation.