Antique Pair Victorian 5 Light Candelabra James Dixon 19th C

Condition:

In excellent condition with clear makers marks and no dings, dents or signs of repair. Please see photos for confirmation.

J Dixon & Sons - founded 1806 in Sheffield, was one of the major British manufacturers in the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century.

They were the best-known manufacturer of Britannia metal, and also the world leader in manufacturing shooting accessories till the late Victorian era. They produced a variety of other items: from precision tools to aircraft propellors. They were particularly famous whistle makers, known for their outstanding quality. They were one of the 4 great whistle makers, the others being W Dowler & Sons, J Stevens & Son & T Yates.

Their shop was located first at Silver Street (1806), Cornish Place (1822) Sheffield .

Their registered trade mark since 1879 was a Trumpet with a Banner hanging from it. Although registered in 1879, the "Trumpet with Banner" logo was used for many years before registration and appears on many of their silver plate pieces. Besides whistles, they were one of the foremost names in silver plate and sterling tableware including silver tea services and hollowware pieces. They also made silver ware serving pieces and had a wide catalogue of patterns. Their tea sets and hollowware pieces are very valuable as antiques.

In 1915 the company sold its stock to an Italian Company and ceased manufacturing shooting accessories.

The firm continued to be a family run enterprise until 1976. Since 1976 The company was purchased and was in an American ownership.

Angelica Kauffman, RA (1741 - 1807)

was a Swiss-born Austrian Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Though born as "Kauffmann", Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name in English; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.

While Kauffman produced many types of art, she identified herself primarily as a history painter, an unusual designation for a woman artist in the 18th century. History painting, was considered the most elite and lucrative category in academic painting during this time period. Under the direction of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Royal Academy made a strong effort to promote history painting to a native audience who were more interested in commissioning and buying portraits and landscapes.

Despite the popularity that Kauffman enjoyed in British society and her success as an artist, she was disappointed by the relative apathy that the British had towards history painting. Ultimately she left Britain for the continent, where history painting was better established, held in higher esteem and patronized.

The works of Angelica Kauffman have retained their reputation. By 1911, rooms decorated with her work were still to be seen in various quarters. At Hampton Court was a portrait of the duchess of Brunswick; in the National Portrait Gallery, a self-portrait. There were other pictures by her at Paris, at Dresden, in the Hermitage at St Petersburg, in the Alte Pinakothek atMunich, in Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn (Estonia).

Satinwood

is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.

The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.

It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.