Set of Six Large Brass Pricket Candlesticks

A set of six brass pricket candlesticks. Constructed in multiple sections and mounted on an iron core, the candlesticks retain their original forged iron prickets above broad drip pans. The elegant baluster-turned shafts rise from stepped circular bases, their proportions characteristic of late seventeenth-century ecclesiastical metalwork.

Pricket candlesticks were designed for the use of large wax candles, which were secured directly onto the iron spike. Such forms remained in liturgical use long after socket candlesticks became widespread and are particularly associated with churches, chapels, and monastic foundations throughout northern Europe. The robust construction, hand-finished turning, and surviving iron prickets all point to an early date and practical ceremonial use.

The present group displays minor variations in profile and moulding, consistent with workshop production before the advent of standardised industrial manufacture. Their scale and form closely correspond to documented seventeenth-century examples, including Italian and northern European pricket candlesticks of comparable height and construction.