Anthony Redmile Brass Cobra, Ostrich Egg Crown, Malachite Inset, Candelabra

Let's be honest. Most candlesticks just sit there. This one is a vibe.

This is an Anthony Redmile brass cobra candlestick, and it's exactly as unhinged and magnificent as that sounds. Standing 25 inches tall with a 14 x 8 inch footprint, this is not an accent piece. This is the piece everything else in the room is going to have to make peace with.

The cobra rises from its coiled base in solid brass ~ its body meticulously engraved and hand-detailed with texture from the curled tail all the way up through the dramatically flared hood; because Redmile didn't ever do anything halfway-- and he certainly did not do anything quietly. The hood fans out with the theatrical authority of something that has absolutely zero interest in being ignored. Set into the chest, like the world's most glamorous brooch, is an oval malachite inset, in a twisted silver-toned bezel mount. The eyes are red glass with black pupils. This cobra has a look ~ and it knows what it is.

The brass has developed a spectacular aged patina over its fifty-plus years-- a deep, complex bronze tone with shadows and highlights that no amount of new brass can replicate; and that you would have to be genuinely unwell to polish off. It is the physical record of a life well lived in someone's very good house, and it is the whole point. It can be polished to a high shine if you insist (and we can achieve this free of cost), but we respectfully suggest you don't. Let the man have his character.

Crowning the cobra's head is an ostrich egg ~ because of course it is, this is a Redmile ~ cradled in a spiked brass collar with a traditional brass candlestick holder above it. Use it as a candlestick if you like, but let's be clear: this is a sculpture that happens to be able to hold a candle, not a candlestick that got a little carried away. It is 100% pure object. It is meant to be stared at.
The Man, The Myth, The Cobra!

Anthony Redmile burst onto the London interior design scene in the 1960s and spent the next several decades doing exactly whatever he wanted-- which turned out to be exactly what the most discerning collectors in the world wanted too. Working from his London studio, Redmile created furniture, mirrors, and objets d'art adorned with agate, horn, shells, malachite, ostrich eggs, silver plate, and virtually anything else he could get his extraordinarily talented hands on, transforming each piece into what one journalist called a "modern cabinet of curiosities." While his contemporaries were busy embracing minimalism, Redmile was installing chandeliers made of ostrich eggs in the homes of Rod Stewart, Jacqueline Onassis, and Erté. His aesthetic was so unmistakably theatrical that his pieces found their way onto James Bond film sets, where their bold silhouettes and opulent materials fit perfectly into the franchise's lavish world. House & Garden Britain summed him up best, calling him "without doubt the most original, prolific and fantastical designer in Britain." He passed away in 2016, and the market for his work has been climbing ever since.

His most recognized pieces include his squirrel sculptures, seashell-encrusted chairs, tortoise coffee tables, ostrich egg chandeliers, and horn mirrors-- each one a little world unto itself. The cobra, however, is a rarer Redmile form. A documented Redmile cobra appears in the secondary market supporting a jardiniere with malachite cabochons-- the same material language you see here; which places this piece firmly and specifically within his known body of work. This is not a common Redmile. This is a find.

Collecting Redmile at this moment is, frankly, smart. His mid century modern / Hollywood Regency pieces are increasingly difficult to source, consistently underpriced relative to their cultural significance and craftsmanship, and absolutely guaranteed to be the most interesting thing in any room they enter. The cobra is no exception.