This large candlestand probably stood in a church choir, or before a tomb. The revolving rings that held the candles meant they could be added and snuffed out more easily. Similar examples from Belgium (Tournai, Ypres and Lierre) dating from 1490s - 1510s are illustrated in D'Allemagne, Histoire du Luminaire, pp.161-2.

The use of lighted candles as a sign of respect or devotion towards gods, the dead or the emperor in Roman times was transferred to rituals of Christian worship. In the Christian church, candles were carried individually in processions and set in clusters beside tombs, especially those of martyrs. Increasingly, candles became central to worship: successive popes from the ninth century onwards forbade mass to be said without light. Initially candles were placed beside the altar during mass, but from the eleventh century onwards they were placed on the altar itself. In the context of Christian writings and worship, the light of a candle had a number of symbolic associations, among them the light of divine knowledge and of life. The number of candles used could also have symbolic significance, although this significance varied across the centuries and according to local custom. Sometimes extinguishing a candle was as significant as lighting it. Prayers said during the hours of darkness and on Friday and Saturday before Easter came to be known in Latin as 'tenebrae' ('darkness') because as they were said, the candles in the choir were gradually snuffed out. This reflected not only the fact that the prayers were said at night, but also the account in the Gospel according to St Matthew of the darkness that enveloped the earth for three hours before Christ's crucifixion (Matthew 27.45).