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Candelsticks and candelabra could be made of a variety of materials, including silver, pewter, brass, ceramics or glass. They were used all over the house and moved from place to place as required.  This candelabrum was perhaps intended for the drawing room or library rather than the dining room. Candles could be made of tallow (animal fat), bees-wax or spermaceti (whale oil). Tallow was the cheapest of the three. Even in the grandest households the use of candles was limited unless entertaining. In 1774, Lady Leicester at Holkham Hall, Norfolk, was reported to sew every night by the light of a single candle.\r\n\r\nSheffield plate originated with the discovery in 1742 by a working cutler of Sheffield, Thomas Boulsover (1704-88), that bars of silver and copper, in unequal proportions, fused by heating under pressure, could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver.  The industry this material created flourished for approximately one hundred years until superseded by electroplating in the 1840s.\r\n\r\nThe process Joseph Hancock (1711-1790) developed for the large-scale production of fused plate (Sheffield plate) differed little throughout the course of the industry.  An ingot of copper was covered with a thin sheet of sterling silver.  These ingots were approximately 1½ to 1¾ inches thick and 2½ inches wide by 8 inches long.  This could vary according to the weight and size of the plated sheet that was required to be made.  Generally speaking however, the thickness of the silver sheet was 1/40 that of the copper block which meant that 10-12 oz of silver was used for every 8 lbs of copper.\r\n\r\nAfter about 1760, it became the practice to plate two sides of the copper ingot so that the resulting sheet was plated with silver on both sides. Samuel Roberts (1763-1849) patented a variation (no. 5963, July 1830) whereby a sheet of German silver, an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel, was inserted between the silver and the copper block.  This produced a laminate of far greater durability.","physicalDescription":"Spreading foot, faceted tapering stem and vase-shaped central socket, decorated with bands of shallow fluting and leaf ornaments. To the upper part of the stem are pivoted two curled branches each supporting a cylindical socket; pierced galleries to nozzles and grease pans.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Sheffield plate","id":"AAT81349"}],"techniques":[{"text":"plating","id":"AAT53991"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Sheffield plate","categories":[{"text":"Lighting","id":"THES48925"},{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"}],"styles":[{"text":"Neoclassical","id":"AAT21477"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2006AK1904"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES405509"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Candlestick","id":""}],[{"text":"Candlestick","id":""}],[{"text":"Arm","id":""}],[{"text":"Arm","id":""}],[{"text":"Drip tray","id":""}],[{"text":"Drip tray","id":""}],[{"text":"Drip tray","id":""}],[{"text":"Arm","id":""}],[{"text":"Arm","id":""}],[{"text":"Drip tray","id":""}],[{"text":"Drip tray","id":""}],[{"text":"Drip tray","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Sheffield","id":"x29138"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"late 18th century","earliest":"1750-01-01","latest":"1800-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Miss M. 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