English Brass Trumpet Candlestick

A fine and well-proportioned English latten trumpet candlestick of Restoration-period date, cast with a broad flaring trumpet foot, integral drip pan, and distinctive ribbed or “corded” stem rising to a wide dished socket. The candlestick displays the restrained elegance characteristic of mid-17th-century English brasswork, its simple architectural form enlivened by the rhythmic corded decoration to the stem and lower section.

Candlesticks of this type are among the earliest recognisable forms of post-medieval English domestic brass lighting. Their manufacture is associated with the latten-founders of the Midlands and South-East England during the period following the Civil War and Restoration. The present example belongs to a documented group of trumpet candlesticks with corded stems illustrated and discussed in the standard reference works on English candlesticks.

The form closely corresponds to examples illustrated in Eloy Koldeweij, The English Candlestick 1425–1925 (Christie’s, 2001), catalogue nos. 17 and 18, both dated 1650–1680, where comparable candlesticks are described as “brass trumpet candlesticks with a ribbed, or ‘corded’, stem.”

Retaining an excellent untouched surface with rich colour and patination developed through centuries of use.

References:
E. Koldeweij, The English Candlestick 1425–1925, Christie’s, London, 2001, cats. 17 & 18.
R. Gentle and R. Feild, Domestic Metalwork 1640–1820.
J. Caspall, Fire and Light in the Home Pre-1820.

Provenance:
Elliott & Grace Snyder Antiques, Pennsylvania.