Candlestick
late 15th century-early 16th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
From the 14th to the 17th centuries, brass candlesticks appeared in all but the most prosperous houses. They were made in forms peculiar to the material.
Socketed candlesticks made their appearance in the late 13th century and thereafter became relatively common, replacing the earlier pricket form, at least for domestic use. The earliest sockets were polygonal in cross-section. By the 15th century they were round. At first, two vertical apertures were cut into the sides of the socket to facilitate the extraction of the burnt-out stub. As production of cheap tallow candles became more sophisticated the size of these apertures became correspondingly smaller. By the 15th century these apertures tended to be horizontally cut. By the second half of the 16th century the apertures were small circular holes. Finally, in the 18th century, the apertures disappeared altogether.
The form of the stem and base of late medieval candlesticks is the result of a complicated interplay between two typological currents. The first naturally evolved from the simple European pricket candlestick, where the shaft is supported on three legs. The second type originated in the Near East, where, from the 13th century, the characteristic brass candlestick had a high cylindrical or slightly conical base surmounted by a flat circular wax pan and a short circular stem. This type of candlestick was introduced into Europe by the Muslim community in Venice from the 14th century. It accounts for the high bell-shaped bases that appear on many northern European and Saracenic candlesticks during this period. Broadly speaking the development of the base of the medieval candlestick can be attributed to foreign influence, while the stem is largely European in origin. But this distinction should not be taken too literally. The gradual elongation of the stem with an increasingly complicated range of knops and balusters initially appeared on Saracenic examples. This example has a moulded stem and deep spreading foot; the long socket is pierced with two square holes.
Socketed candlesticks made their appearance in the late 13th century and thereafter became relatively common, replacing the earlier pricket form, at least for domestic use. The earliest sockets were polygonal in cross-section. By the 15th century they were round. At first, two vertical apertures were cut into the sides of the socket to facilitate the extraction of the burnt-out stub. As production of cheap tallow candles became more sophisticated the size of these apertures became correspondingly smaller. By the 15th century these apertures tended to be horizontally cut. By the second half of the 16th century the apertures were small circular holes. Finally, in the 18th century, the apertures disappeared altogether.
The form of the stem and base of late medieval candlesticks is the result of a complicated interplay between two typological currents. The first naturally evolved from the simple European pricket candlestick, where the shaft is supported on three legs. The second type originated in the Near East, where, from the 13th century, the characteristic brass candlestick had a high cylindrical or slightly conical base surmounted by a flat circular wax pan and a short circular stem. This type of candlestick was introduced into Europe by the Muslim community in Venice from the 14th century. It accounts for the high bell-shaped bases that appear on many northern European and Saracenic candlesticks during this period. Broadly speaking the development of the base of the medieval candlestick can be attributed to foreign influence, while the stem is largely European in origin. But this distinction should not be taken too literally. The gradual elongation of the stem with an increasingly complicated range of knops and balusters initially appeared on Saracenic examples. This example has a moulded stem and deep spreading foot; the long socket is pierced with two square holes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Brass, cast and turned |
| Brief description | Brass candlestick with moulded stem and two square holes in the socket, Flemish, late 15th - early 16th century |
| Physical description | Candlestick with moulded stem and deep spreading foot; the long socket is pierced with two square holes. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Summary | From the 14th to the 17th centuries, brass candlesticks appeared in all but the most prosperous houses. They were made in forms peculiar to the material. Socketed candlesticks made their appearance in the late 13th century and thereafter became relatively common, replacing the earlier pricket form, at least for domestic use. The earliest sockets were polygonal in cross-section. By the 15th century they were round. At first, two vertical apertures were cut into the sides of the socket to facilitate the extraction of the burnt-out stub. As production of cheap tallow candles became more sophisticated the size of these apertures became correspondingly smaller. By the 15th century these apertures tended to be horizontally cut. By the second half of the 16th century the apertures were small circular holes. Finally, in the 18th century, the apertures disappeared altogether. The form of the stem and base of late medieval candlesticks is the result of a complicated interplay between two typological currents. The first naturally evolved from the simple European pricket candlestick, where the shaft is supported on three legs. The second type originated in the Near East, where, from the 13th century, the characteristic brass candlestick had a high cylindrical or slightly conical base surmounted by a flat circular wax pan and a short circular stem. This type of candlestick was introduced into Europe by the Muslim community in Venice from the 14th century. It accounts for the high bell-shaped bases that appear on many northern European and Saracenic candlesticks during this period. Broadly speaking the development of the base of the medieval candlestick can be attributed to foreign influence, while the stem is largely European in origin. But this distinction should not be taken too literally. The gradual elongation of the stem with an increasingly complicated range of knops and balusters initially appeared on Saracenic examples. This example has a moulded stem and deep spreading foot; the long socket is pierced with two square holes. |
| Bibliographic reference | Turner, Eric An Introduction to Brass, London, HMSO, pp 28-29 ill. ISBN 0112903762 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.227-1912 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | January 27, 2004 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
