The base of the lustres is in the form of a tempietto, a small, often circular, Renaissance temple.
The design was inspired by the circular classical Temple of Vesta at Tivoli, with its surrounding columns, which is regarded as one of the finest examples of High Renaissance architecture.
The lustres, which are attributed to James Parker, are not only extremely beautiful, but very rare indeed.
The Burghley Inventory of 1804 records: ‘Red Drawing room….2=3light Orr molu glass lustres.’
