Candlestick
17th 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 baluster stem and hexagonal foot, with pomegranates and cherub heads in relief on the upper surface.
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 baluster stem and hexagonal foot, with pomegranates and cherub heads in relief on the upper surface.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Brass, cast |
Brief description | Brass candlestick decorated with pomegranates and cherubs heads in relief, Danish, 17th century |
Physical description | Candlestick with baluster stem and hexagonal foot, with pomegranates and cherub-heads in relief on the upper surface. |
Dimensions |
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Subjects depicted | |
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 baluster stem and hexagonal foot, with pomegranates and cherub heads in relief on the upper surface. |
Collection | |
Accession number | M.304-1912 |
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Record created | January 27, 2004 |
Record URL |
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