Antique Silver Candlesticks

Metalware — By admin on June 4, 2010 at 2:13 am

Even though we no longer depend upon candlelight for illumination, nothing graces the dining table more elegantly than a pair of silver candlesticks. Most candlesticks and candelabra were originally made in pairs or larger sets. Expect to pay more than double for a pair of candlesticks than you would for two singles — even if they’re the same design and size! To be a true “pair” candlesticks must be the work of one maker and of more or less the same date.

The basic form is a base, vertical stem (or column), nozzle, and, on most examples, a drip pan. On some candlesticks, above the nozzles, there are ledges that feature as drip pans, designed to catch dripping wax; others have trays between the stem and the base to catch drips. The drip pan at the base of the stem became smaller and was absorbed as a decorative feature. The socket (or scone) is the cylindrical holder into which the candle fits. Most early candlesticks, made of light, thin, hammered, sheet metal, and hollow, were designed with large bases to counterbalance their instability, and were 13cm (5in) tall at most; decoration was limited to an engraved armorial or embossed trailing flowers.

Types Of Antique Candlesticks

Sheet candlesticks are marked in a line above the base, cast ones are marked in the well, or under each corner. Chamber candlesticks were used to light the way to bed and, unlike other candlesticks, are usually sold singly. This one was made in the 1780s and, like many of its kind, is fitted with its own snuffer.

Glass candlesticks were made in the medieval period, but only with the invention of brilliant, clear, lead crystal did they become more common. The patterns of early lead-crystal candlesticks were copied from brass and silver models, with elegant, plain, knopped baluster stems. Throughout the 18thC, English glass candlesticks featured stems with decoration following that of contemporary drinking glasses, such as air-twist stems and opaque-twist stems.

Tallow or wax candles set in candlesticks were used in Europe for lighting from the tenth century. But in England very few examples have survived from before the English Civil Wars in the mid-l600s, when much of England’s silver was melted down for coinage. Examples of candlesticks from later in the century, in a chunky, angular style, do, however, exist.

The Evolving Structure & Look Of The Candlestick

By the last quarter of the 17thC silver candlesticks were made by casting, usually in three pieces – sconce, stem and base – which were then soldered together. Because a large quantity of metal was used, they were heavy and solid in appearance. This process was common until the late 18thC, when it became customary to make candlesticks of fine rolled sheet silver, often reinforced with a metal rod and with a central core of pitch and plaster of Paris to give stability.

By the 1680s, skilled Hugenot craftsmen were casting candlesticks in solid silver. Candlesticks became heavier, taller, and more ornate, and could stand on small bases. In the early 18thC, plain candlesticks came into fashion but by the 1730s, they had spool-shaped sconces and richer ornamentation of pleated or lobed forms. Detachable nozzles were typical.

In the early 1700s, candlesticks were usually about 7in/18cm in height, rising to some 12in/30cm by 1800; in Victorian times they were slightly shorter: 10in/25cm. The invention of Sheffield plate in the 1740s, followed by electroplating in 1840, meant that silver candlesticks could be produced that the middle classes could afford, and they were made in quantity. Lavish Rococo candlesticks were made in the mid-18thC.

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More About The Candlestick’s History

In the Regency period, candlesticks became more ornate, with lavish scrolls and foliage applied to the bases, around the sockets, and at the tops of the stems. From c.1820, many 17th and 18thC styles were revived, with the Rococo taste popular. Unlike earlier cast examples, most revival candlesticks were made of loaded sheet silver. Figural candlesticks, in the form of rustic figures of shepherds, caryatids, or knights in armour were fashionable during the 19thC.

In the late 19thC, British and North American silversmiths produced handmade wares in the simple designs of the Art & Crafts Movement. Candlesticks made in the 20thC encompass a host of styles, including Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

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