Pair of Large Renaissance Brass Pricket Candlesticks

A fine pair of large Renaissance brass pricket candlesticks, each with a broad circular base supporting a bold urn-shaped baluster stem, rising to a wide drip pan fitted with the original wrought iron pricket. Standing 17 inches in height, these imposing candlesticks were made for ecclesiastical use, their form designed to hold tall wax tapers that would have illuminated altars and chapels during the liturgy.
The architectural vocabulary of these candlesticks — with their strong baluster profiles, tiered bases, and carefully balanced mouldings — reflects the influence of late Renaissance design in Northern Italy. Their heavy, sculptural quality echoes the language of classical architecture, translating the rhythm of columns and entablatures into domestic and ecclesiastical metalwork.
Beyond their practical function, pricket candlesticks embodied important symbolic meaning. The upright taper symbolised Christ as the Light of the World, while the pairing of lights on an altar or chapel table reinforced harmony and the ordered presence of the divine within the sacred space.
The survival of a true pair of this scale is uncommon, as most examples of the period survive singly. Their impressive height, architectural form, and original prickets mark them as significant survivals of late Renaissance Italian brassfounding, closely aligned with the Counter-Reformation emphasis on splendour, light, and dramatic presence in Catholic worship.