×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog

Adelaidean - News from the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide
May 2011 Issue
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Art & Heritage

To mark the 175th anniversary of South ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog, this month we are highlighting one of the treasures of the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide Visual Art Collection - a testimonial candelabrum designed by Julius Schomburgk and presented to John Ridley for his generous contribution to the colony in 1860.

Ridley was the inventor of an agricultural reaping machine, which helped save South ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog from financial troubles in the 1840s. His machine enabled crops to be reaped mechanically, making harvest more efficient. Ridley declined to take out a patent on his invention thereby allowing the colony to receive its financial benefits and to prosper.

Schomburgk emigrated to South ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog from Prussia in 1850 and soon established a solid reputation for his silversmithing and design skills. A committed exponent of Victorian naturalism, he incorporated in his designs a vast range of sculptural motifs representing ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlogn flora and fauna in combination with figures of Aborigines. This work is one of the most spectacular examples of his oeuvre.

In 1930 Ridley's daughter, Miss J T Ridley, gave the candelabrum to the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog's Waite Agricultural Research Institute. It is now on display in the Mitchell Building, North Terrace Campus. If you wish to see it, please contact Art & Heritage Collections on 08 8313 3086.

Mirna Heruc, Manager, Art & Heritage Collections

The John Ridley Testimonial Candelabrum (1860) made from silver, gold, malachite and blackwood, by Julius Schomburgk (1812–1893)
Photo by Grant Hancock

The John Ridley Testimonial Candelabrum (1860) made from silver, gold, malachite and blackwood, by Julius Schomburgk (1812-1893)
Photo by Grant Hancock

Full Image (63.23K)

The John Ridley Testimonial Candelabrum (1860) made from silver, gold, malachite and blackwood, by Julius Schomburgk (1812-1893)
Photo by Grant Hancock

The John Ridley Testimonial Candelabrum (1860) made from silver, gold, malachite and blackwood, by Julius Schomburgk (1812-1893)
Photo by Grant Hancock

Full Image (95.13K)

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For more news on the research and educational achievements of the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog & our alumni read the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog's bi-annual magazine, Lumen.