Sanctuary Lamp

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Dateca. 1855

Mediumgilt brass

DescriptionA hanging lamp with chain and rose in Gothic Revival style.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Status

On view

Label TextPugin's promotion of a Gothic Revival style coincided with a tremendous boom in the building of churches for England's growing industrial centers. He rapidly became the leading architect for the Roman Catholic Church, executing designs for architecture as well as interior fittings, such as this sanctuary lamp. The lamp was made by John Hardman, a button-maker and medallist in Birmingham who was also Pugin's close friend. Pugin's influence spread through his prodigious publications, which articulated his belief that Gothic designs were not only the most beautiful, but the most truthful; thus, designers had a moral obligation to employ Gothic motifs.

Object number2004.5