We were delighted to be able to reinstate the Maufe Candlesticks as part of our Patronal Festival celebrations on Sunday 29th June.
The candlesticks featured in Sir Edward Maufe’s decorative scheme for the Cathedral, introduced following the major east-end extension, completed in the early 1960s. Crafted in timber and gilded, the set includes x2 altar candlesticks and x2 matching floor standards, each bearing the distinctive woolpack and crossed keys emblem.
The candlesticks were in a poor state of repair after many years of use and thanks to support from the Headley Trust and the City & Guilds of London Art School (CGLAS) they have been cleaned, repaired and conserved.
The work was completed by Year 2 conservation students under the supervision of Jürgen Huber, Senior Furniture Conservator at The Wallace Collection and Lecturer at CGLAS.
After being away for a year, it is wonderful to have the candlesticks back in situ, to feature in our worship and be enjoyed by visitors for many years to come.
Jürgen Huber, ACR, said of the work:
“We aimed throughout for minimum intervention, safeguarding the character of those pieces while ensuring that our treatment is reversible/re-treatable.
“The original manufacture and layer structure of these is very unusual. Mahogany type wood and, as adhesive, a casein-based glue – which is very hard and brittle – was used in the construction of these. These were sealed with shellac (soluble in ethanol) before a very hard-wearing oil paint was applied followed by the gold-leaf. Subsequently these candlesticks are in fact quite friable. If somebody spills a glass of wine or something stronger on them, you would be in for a bad surprise, so it’s a little odd!”
Work undertaken included replacing middle sections, the filling of shrinkage gaps, removing of scuff marks and wax drippings, and re-polishing to remove corroded, oxidised and stained brass. The goldleaf was also fixed to remove abrasions.
Finally, the candlesticks with waxed with a microcrystalline/ bees/ carnauba wax mixture to offer maximum protection from fluctuation in relative humidity and temperature, with guidance provided to the Cathedral about how to care for them in the future including re-waxing them every 3-8 years.
