A torchère is a tall stand designed to support a candelabrum, lamp or other light source, raising it to a height where it can illuminate a room. The word is French, and in English it is also used for a tall floor lamp that throws light upwards, as well as for decorative pedestals of similar shape.
Torchères became fashionable in grand French and English interiors in the late seventeenth century, when they were often made in pairs to flank a pier table and mirror, multiplying the candlelight in the glass. Early examples were carved and gilded wood, sometimes in the form of blackamoor or classical figures, while later Georgian versions in mahogany were lighter, often with tripod bases and small galleried tops. Neoclassical designs used columns, urns and lyre shapes, and the nineteenth century produced ornate versions in gilt bronze, marble and brass. In the twentieth century the name passed to uplighting standard lamps, particularly in Art Deco style. Collectors value pairs, original gilding and fine carving, and many antique torchères have since been converted to electricity or are used as stands for plants and sculpture.
