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emancipation of slaves in Jamaica. The candelabrum is decorated symbolically at its base with a former slave holding up his child, suggestive of a new-found freedom. The stem of the candelabrum is a palm tree, with its fronds extending from a central branch decorated with neo-classical inspired bell flowers, surmounted by a pineapple. In 1781, John Denis, third Earl of Altamont and later first Marquis of Sligo, employed the English architect James Wyatt (1746-1813) to complete the interior of Westport House. His elegant plasterwork motifs were inspired by the paintings discovered at the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. His plasterwork was cast from mounds and set in low relief, featuring neo-classical repeating figures and garlands in oval and circular medallions. Although later renovations removed much of Wyatt’s plasterwork throughout Westport House, it survives in magnificent detail in the dining room. During the second half of the 18th century mahogany had become the preferred wood for dining tables. The mahogany
for the two matching dining room doors at Westport came from the family’s estate in Jamaica; it is possible that the superb mahogany of the Westport dining table was also supplied from the estate. Despite changing fortunes and circumstances, Westport House has remained in the Browne family to the present day. In the 1980s the tenth Marquis of Sligo, Denis Edward, opened the house and grounds to the public and has developed the estate into a popular attraction for visitors, allowing the family to maintain their Palladian home. LITERATURE
S. Stuart, Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840, Antique Collector’s Club Ltd, 2008, p. 241, pl.243.