Candlestick
ca. 1660 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The circular base and wide-bowled candle socket date this candlestick to the second half of the 17th century. It was probably made in southern Germany in a major centre of production such as Augsburg or Nuremberg. During this period, the engraved decoration on the stem was also used to decorate the beeswax candles placed in the socket. Candles were expensive, luxury items. Silver, brass and pewter candlestick were expensive household furnishings.
The market for brass was large. It included mass-produced goods and lighting for merchant-class houses and clocks and scientific instruments for the aristocracy.
Brass is an alloy or mixture of copper and zinc: 83% copper produces a golden lustre; 90% gives a reddish glow. Brass melts at 850ºC and can be cast into patterned moulds or into sheets which are hammered into shape.
The market for brass was large. It included mass-produced goods and lighting for merchant-class houses and clocks and scientific instruments for the aristocracy.
Brass is an alloy or mixture of copper and zinc: 83% copper produces a golden lustre; 90% gives a reddish glow. Brass melts at 850ºC and can be cast into patterned moulds or into sheets which are hammered into shape.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Brass, cast, turned and engraved |
| Brief description | Candlestick, brass, southern Germany, ca. 1660, with an hexagonal column rising from a circular foot; the shaft is engraved with arabesques foliage and the foot with a laurel wreath |
| Physical description | One of a pair of candlesticks of brass, each in the form of a hexagonal column rising from a circular moulded foot and bearing on its square abacus a vase ornamented with leaves; the shaft is engraved with arabesques foliage and the foot with a laurel wreath. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The circular base and wide-bowled candle socket date this candlestick to the second half of the 17th century. It was probably made in southern Germany in a major centre of production such as Augsburg or Nuremberg. During this period, the engraved decoration on the stem was also used to decorate the beeswax candles placed in the socket. Candles were expensive, luxury items. Silver, brass and pewter candlestick were expensive household furnishings. The market for brass was large. It included mass-produced goods and lighting for merchant-class houses and clocks and scientific instruments for the aristocracy. Brass is an alloy or mixture of copper and zinc: 83% copper produces a golden lustre; 90% gives a reddish glow. Brass melts at 850ºC and can be cast into patterned moulds or into sheets which are hammered into shape. |
| Associated object | 1123-1898 (Pair) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1123A-1898 |
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| Record created | March 30, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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