Page 112 - An account of the Lodge of Nine Muses No. 235. 1777 to 2012UGLE

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE FURNITURE OF THE LODGE

HE LODGE is happy in still possessing some of the furniture belonging
to its earliest days; this consists of the frame in which the 1777 Warrant
Tis exhibited, the chairs for the Master and Wardens, and the three
39
candlesticks given to the Lodge by Bro. Raphael Franco, one of the Founders and
the first Senior Warden.
The frame for the Warrant measures 2 feet 2¾- inches by 1 foot 9½ inches
inside. It is of wood with enrichments in gesso all richly gilt; the’ design, an
elaborate and elegant treatment of Masonic motives, may well’ be due to Cipriani
who, in addition to his painting, was skilled in such decorative work. The Warrant
and frame were cleaned and redecorated in 1862 at a cost of £6. See Plate 1.
The chairs (see Plate 6), though less elaborate than some con temporary
examples, are good specimens of the craftsmanship of the late eighteenth century.
They are of solid mahogany and are heavily built; the extreme height of the
Master’s chair is 7 feet 2 inches, and of the Wardens’ 6 feet 9 inches. The Master’s
chair has carved arms, and decorations of the Ionic order; the two others are alike
except for the emblems of office, the carving of the arms is less elaborate and the
columns are Doric. The details are picked out in gold. The legs and stretchers,
which are little seen, are of uncompromising plainness. The maker is unknown.
The three corresponding pedestals, not illustrated, are also of mahogany, but are
of less refined design, They were bought in 1875, according to the minutes, but
there is no entry of a payment in the accounts.
40
The three candlesticks are of lacquered brass (see Plate 7). The columns are
of the Ionic, Doric and Corinthian orders respectively, with the appropriate
pedestals and entablatures; the sockets for the candles are supported by scrolls of
foliage springing from the top of the order. The three shallow steps at the foot are
engraved to represent a square pavement seen in perspective.
As they are all of the same diameter at the base, the columns, and with them
the other members, differ in height in accordance with the accepted canon of

39 The protective frame, much dilapidated, was replaced in 1978??? by a larger case, made by W.
Bro W.R.C.Dawson, in which the elaborate mounting of the original Warrant is exhibited
on the left hand side and the Centenary and Bi-centenary Warrants are displayed on the
right, one above the other. See Plate 2.
40 For many years these were stored on the mezzanine landing outside Rooms 18 and 19 at Great.
Queen Street They were refurbished and brought back into use when the Lodge moved to
MMH in 1979 and form part of the furniture of the Brazil Room on the Ground Floor.