Sedgefield WILLIAMSBURG Solid Brass Home Accessories
Design History
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A. Cathedral Candlestick This stately candlestick design was inspired by a brass fixture that dates to roughly 1680, now part of the Colonial Williamsburg collections. By the middle of the 18th century, brass was ubiquitous in England and a favorite of the growing middle class. Items such as brass candlesticks and wall sconces were emblems of respectable wealth. This piece is similar to those of 18th-century foundries, and is lacquered for lasting shine and resistance to tarnish. |
| B. Swirl-Base Candlestick This sophisticated candlestick is reproduced from an English antique, circa 1765, in the Colonial Williamsburg collections. Its swirling design is created using the same manufacturing methods that produced the original. Molten metal, formulated to duplicate the hue of 18th-century brass, is poured into a sand mold. The casting that results is hand-filed and polished. Castings are made one at a time, so each candlestick has individual character while retaining every detail of the antique. (click here to return to Swirl-Base candlestick) |
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Powell Candlestick This curvy candlestick design was reproduced from a pair of circa-1720 English originals that were displayed for decades in Colonial Williamsburg's Benjamin Powell House. Powell was a general contractor who worked on a number of public buildings in Williamsburg between 1764 and 1771, including the Public Gaol, Bruton Parish Church, and the Public Hospital. These candlesticks and lamps are sand-cast and lacquered for a lasting shine. (click here to return to Powell candlesticks) |
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Sarah Coke Candlestick This graceful candlestick design was interpreted from brass candlestick fragments in the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation collections. The pieces, which date to the 18th century, were unearthed near Colonial Williamsburg's Coke-Garrett House. John Coke was a goldsmith and tavern keeper who died in 1767, and then his wife Sarah continued to operate the tavern. Sand-cast and lacquered for lasting shine, this candlestick shape suits today's home as easily as it did an 18th-century tavern. (click here to return to Sarah Coke candlesticks) |
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Tapersticks Recalling the days when documents were sealed with wax softened in the flame of a candle, these tapersticks are reproduced from antiques in the Colonial Williamsburg collections. Tapersticks were introduced around 1680 and, along with inkwells, quill pens, and other essentials for the writing table, were used throughout the 18th century in the colonies as well as England. Although 18th-century craftsmen emphasized utility rather than ornamentation, these tapersticks are carefully proportioned to please the eye and lacquered to resist tarnish. (click here to return to tapersticks) |
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| Pillar Adapter Turn your classic candlesticks into a pillar candle holder. 18th-century candles varied in formulation - from animal fats to bayberry to beeswax - and all of them dripped. This brass pillar adapter is inspired by a removeable nozzle on a circa-1765 candlestick in the Colonial Williamsburg collections. A nozzle is an English term for the circular device at the top of a candlestick, which caught the residue from burning candles. This adapter is compatible with most candlesticks and can be used to accomodate the pillar candles so popular in today's home. (click here to return to pillar adapter) |
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| Pineapple Accessories Exotic and rare in the 18th century, the pineapple was an expensive delicacy for wealthy Williamsburg homes. Served with great flourish at dinner parties and used as a centerpiece in impressive displays, the pineapple became a symbol of welcome and hospitality. Pineapple motifs were therefore frequently used in architecture, ceramics, silver, textiles, and furniture during the height of the rococo period (about 1745 to 1770). Today the pineapple remains a hallmark of warm and gracious entertaining. (click here to return to pineapple trivet) |
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| Queen Anne & William and Mary Trivets The royal monograms of three English monarchs are captured in these sand-cast, hand-finished trivets of lacquered brass. Williamsburg was the capital of Britain's largest, wealthiest, and most populous colony, and it was customary for colonists to honor their monarch. William and Mary accepted the throne in 1689 and figured prominently in the history of Virginia, including granting a charter for the College of William and Mary. Queen Anne, who began her 12-year reign in 1702, had the monogram "AR," denoting the Latin Anna Regina. (click here to return to trivets) |
All Sedgefield WILLIAMSBURG items are lacquered and do not require polishing. The require not maintenance other than dusting with a soft clean cloth. The beautiful color of Sedgefield WILLIAMSBURG brass sets it apart from any other. The carefully controlled brass formula matches a small sample taken from a 17th-century candlestick in the collections of Colonial Williamsburg. Thus the unique color and finish continues to preserve our country's design heritage. The WILLIAMSBURG Reserve Collection hallmark is found on those items which have been approved by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as meeting their exacting standards for authentic reproductions and adaptations. The WILLIAMSBURG script trademark indicates an interpretation of a Colonial Williamsburg antique.
