Art in the Architecture: 100-year-old candelabras light the path to SLAM

“Art in the Architecture” is a 1 Fine Arts Blog series dedicated to the ornamental details on the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Main Building, which was designed by Cass Gilbert for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In 1904, the building was flanked by sprawling, temporary wings that together formed the Palace of Fine Arts, which presented fairgoers with approximately 11,000 works of art from 26 countries. It is the sole surviving building from the World’s Fair. 

Decades before electric lighting became accessible in homes across the United States, architect Cass Gilbert designed two ornate, electrified candelabras to illuminate the former Palace of Fine Arts in 1915. 

The new light fixtures, plus the addition of two stone benches, were a distinct improvement to the front lawn of the building, which was originally built for the 1904 World’s Fair. Installed under the direction of the City Lighting Commissioner, the candelabras cast light onto the Museum and highlighted the grand outline of the Museum at night, allowing passersby to view the building from the bottom of Art Hill.

Gilbert drew inspiration for these works from Renaissance-era candelabras, which developed from ancient Etruscan and Roman candelabras. The bases of the candelabras, resting on four claw feet, are decorated with low-relief vases overflowing with leaves. Delicate birds and squirrels dance between the vines, and the leaf motif continues up the gently tapered shaft and into uppermost part of the column. Grapevines, fruits, and birds intertwine beneath the glass bulbs of the candelabras, which are secured in place by the column top, embellished with four more leaves. Both candelabra designs employ leaves, fruit, and wildlife, but they are not identical. Individual details and placement vary between the two. The candelabras were realized by the bronze firm of Donnelly and Ricci in New York, with bronze from the foundry of Jno. Williams, Inc. of New York.

In the early 20th century, ornamental lamps became an increasingly popular choice for exterior decoration of important American buildings. At the entrance of the Saint Louis Public Library building, also designed by Gilbert, there are similar bronze candelabras that date to 1912. These works feature turtles at the base instead of claw feet. The architect reused the design of the turtle candelabras and the Museum’s candelabras to flank the Detroit Public Library, constructed in 1921.

Four postmodern reimaginations of Gilbert’s candelabras, reminiscent of tall, narrow candlesticks, were added to the Museum’s campus in 2004 as part of the Forest Park Improvement Project.