Object Type
Before the 1780s candles made of tallow (animal fat), beeswax and spermaceti (sperm whale oil) were the chief source of artificial light. Even in the 19th century, with competition from oil lamps, gas and electricity, candles and candlesticks remained essential items used throughout the home and moved from room to room as light was required.

Materials & Making
The candlestick form was well suited to the technical innovation of die-stamping. This technique was essentially the production of relief decoration in thin sheet silver or Sheffield plate. To make candlesticks, the stamped sheets were trimmed, soldered together and filled with resin with the bases loaded to give stability. From the 1760s, when the imporvement of dies extended their usage to larger items such as candlesticks, a variety of motifs could be assembled in any number of combinations.

Design & Designing
The candlestick is decorated with shells, flowers, leaves and scrolls in an ornate, revived Rococo style.The Rococo was one of the most significant, and the earliest, of the 19th-century stylistic revivals. It was frequently referred to at the time as 'Louis XIV' ('Louis Quatorze') or 'Louis XV' ('Louis Quinze'), an indication of how little the distinction between late Baroque and Rococo was understood. Although loudly criticised as excessive and lacking in taste, by the Great Exhibition of 1851 Rococo was becoming the dominant style for commercial manufacturers.