Artwork Page for Candlestick

Details / Information for Candlestick

Candlestick

1250–1350

Eastern Anatolia

Medium
sheet brass inlaid with silver
Measurements
Overall: 24.4 cm (9 5/8 in.); Diameter of base: 21.3 cm (8 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1951.539
Public Domain
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Location
116 Islamic
Print

Description

Candlesticks were a common type of luxury good in the Islamic world during the medieval period. The extensive decoration on this piece is arranged in bands with roundels displaying birds in flight and leaf-like scrolls on a background of hexagonal swastikas. These ancient motifs are thought to have been sun symbols and were sometimes used as a background pattern for metalwork at this time.
A dark golden brass candlestick features a wide, flared base tapering to a flat shoulder and a cylindrical neck ending in a flared socket. Detailed interlocking geometric patterns and silver-inlaid medallions cover the exterior. Large circular medallions with swirling patterns repeat around the base and socket. Silver-inlaid bands also encircle the neck and shoulder, where the bright metal contrasts against the dark brass to create a dense, ornate surface.

Candlestick

1250–1350

Eastern Anatolia

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