CANDELABRA INSPIRED BY VIKING LONGSHIPS
What do a 1,000-year-old tapestry, a British society hostess and a set of silver candelabra have in common?
The answer lies in the British Museum, where a thread of Viking-inspired design connects one of the world's most celebrated medieval artworks with a commission undertaken by Robert Welch.
Founded in 1753, the British Museum houses a permanent collection of 20th-century design, including the candelabra created by Robert Welch.
The museum is currently hosting the Bayeux Tapestry, which recounts the dramatic events leading to the Battle of Hastings. Among its scenes are fleets that carry William's army across the Channel. Longboats reveal the Scandinavian heritage that shaped much of northern Europe during the period.
SEAFARING SILHOUETTES
Just a short walk from the gallery displaying the Bayeux Tapestry, another interpretation of those seafaring silhouettes can be found.
Six silver candelabra designed by Robert Welch shimmer in a display case, their elongated form echoing the graceful profile of Viking longships. Created in 1983 for the British Museum, they are among the most prestigious commissions of Robert's career.
Their story begins in 1982 with the death of Pamela, Lady Hartwell, a trustee of the museum and noted society hostess. Friends decided that a fitting memorial would be a set of silver candelabra for use at formal dinners in the Hartwell Room, named in her honour.
The following year, museum director Sir David Wilson approached Robert with a brief. The design, he said, should be "low and graceful, like a Viking boat", and hold just two candles so as not to interrupt diners' sightlines or conversation.
It was a theme Robert instinctively understood.
As a student in the 1950s, he had travelled extensively in Scandinavia and developed a lifelong admiration for Nordic design and craftsmanship. The Scandinavian belief that everyday objects should be functional, beautiful and accessible profoundly influenced his approach to design. Norse motifs had already appeared in several of his works, including a Viking ship butter knife created for his Shetland (Island Fling) range.
On the train journey home from London, Robert began sketching ideas. By the following day, at the Silk Mill in Chipping Campden where our designers are still based today, draughtsman John Limbrey had translated those sketches into a model.
According to archive records, Robert later recalled telling Sir David that he hoped he liked the proposal because he had "absolutely nothing left to show him". Fortunately, the design was immediately approved.
"Luckily, all went well and the dramatically sweeping design was approved," reads a passage in the book Robert Welch Design: Craft and Industry. "So Limbrey set to work to make the six identical pieces. Later, Robert felt this design was especially successful because the final outcome had managed to retain the first spark of inspiration."
A TREASURE TROVE OF HISTORY
Charlotte Booth, Robert Welch Archivist, oversees the preservation of Robert's designs, sketchbooks, photographs and letters in a temperature-controlled archive.
"There are intriguing visual echoes between the Bayeux Tapestry and Robert's six silver candelabra," she says.
"Having both at the British Museum provides an opportunity to consider how certain shapes and forms recur in different contexts. Whether stitched in wool and linen or worked in silver, the similarity of sweeping lines invite comparison. That doesn't imply a direct line of influence, but it does show how particular forms can continue to capture the imagination across centuries."
THE CANDELABRA CONNECTIONS
From churches to cathedrals, schools to museums and even the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, commissions for candelabra were a recurring thread in the early decades of Robert Welch – a legacy of the silversmith's craft.
In 1980, the V&A Museum in London commissioned a pair of silver candelabra for its permanent collection. Still on show today, their beautiful, bulbous form was inspired by the Malvern Hills. In 1995, George Breeze, director of Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, commissioned a five-branch candelabrum to celebrate his and his wife's 25th wedding anniversary.
Among these silver icons came Robert's triple-stemmed Campden; chunky cast iron Campden Designs; tentacle-like Sea Drift, inspired by the Welch family's Welsh holidays, and sculptural Nest, commissioned by his daughter Alice Welch in 2008.
Today, our mirror-polished Windrush candlesticks and candelabra are an enduring choice of wedding gift thanks to their romantic curves. Two or more candlesticks are designed to entwine on a table, casting shimmering reflections and a feeling of fluid movement.
“They’re a masterclass in how stainless steel can be formed. Their fluidity was inspired by the ebb and flow of the River Windrush that winds through the Cotswolds,” says Charlotte.
“The recent addition of the Windrush candelabrum, with its two distinct branches, even looks a little like an evolution of Robert’s Viking-inspired candelabra. His design legacy is incredible and still runs through everything we do."
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SEAFARING SILHOUETTES
Just a short walk from the gallery displaying the Bayeux Tapestry, another interpretation of those seafaring silhouettes can be found.
Six silver candelabra designed by Robert Welch shimmer in a display case, their elongated form echoing the graceful profile of Viking longships. Created in 1983 for the British Museum, they are among the most prestigious commissions of Robert's career.
Their story begins in 1982 with the death of Pamela, Lady Hartwell, a trustee of the museum and noted society hostess. Friends decided that a fitting memorial would be a set of silver candelabra for use at formal dinners in the Hartwell Room, named in her honour.
The following year, museum director Sir David Wilson approached Robert with a brief. The design, he said, should be "low and graceful, like a Viking boat", and hold just two candles so as not to interrupt diners' sightlines or conversation.
It was a theme Robert instinctively understood.
As a student in the 1950s, he had travelled extensively in Scandinavia and developed a lifelong admiration for Nordic design and craftsmanship. The Scandinavian belief that everyday objects should be functional, beautiful and accessible profoundly influenced his approach to design. Norse motifs had already appeared in several of his works, including a Viking ship butter knife created for his Shetland (Island Fling) range.
On the train journey home from London, Robert began sketching ideas. By the following day, at the Silk Mill in Chipping Campden where our designers are still based today, draughtsman John Limbrey had translated those sketches into a model.
According to archive records, Robert later recalled telling Sir David that he hoped he liked the proposal because he had "absolutely nothing left to show him". Fortunately, the design was immediately approved.
"Luckily, all went well and the dramatically sweeping design was approved," reads a passage in the book Robert Welch Design: Craft and Industry. "So Limbrey set to work to make the six identical pieces. Later, Robert felt this design was especially successful because the final outcome had managed to retain the first spark of inspiration."
A TREASURE TROVE OF HISTORY
Charlotte Booth, Robert Welch Archivist, oversees the preservation of Robert's designs, sketchbooks, photographs and letters in a temperature-controlled archive.
"There are intriguing visual echoes between the Bayeux Tapestry and Robert's six silver candelabra," she says.
"Having both at the British Museum provides an opportunity to consider how certain shapes and forms recur in different contexts. Whether stitched in wool and linen or worked in silver, the similarity of sweeping lines invite comparison. That doesn't imply a direct line of influence, but it does show how particular forms can continue to capture the imagination across centuries."
THE CANDELABRA CONNECTIONS
From churches to cathedrals, schools to museums and even the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, commissions for candelabra were a recurring thread in the early decades of Robert Welch – a legacy of the silversmith's craft.
In 1980, the V&A Museum in London commissioned a pair of silver candelabra for its permanent collection. Still on show today, their beautiful, bulbous form was inspired by the Malvern Hills. In 1995, George Breeze, director of Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, commissioned a five-branch candelabrum to celebrate his and his wife's 25th wedding anniversary.
Among these silver icons came Robert's triple-stemmed Campden; chunky cast iron Campden Designs; tentacle-like Sea Drift, inspired by the Welch family's Welsh holidays, and sculptural Nest, commissioned by his daughter Alice Welch in 2008.
Today, our mirror-polished Windrush candlesticks and candelabra are an enduring choice of wedding gift thanks to their romantic curves. Two or more candlesticks are designed to entwine on a table, casting shimmering reflections and a feeling of fluid movement.
“They’re a masterclass in how stainless steel can be formed. Their fluidity was inspired by the ebb and flow of the River Windrush that winds through the Cotswolds,” says Charlotte.
“The recent addition of the Windrush candelabrum, with its two distinct branches, even looks a little like an evolution of Robert’s Viking-inspired candelabra. His design legacy is incredible and still runs through everything we do."