560 - Pair of Brass Candlesticks with Pivoting Bundled-Rod Shaft

Pair of Brass Candlesticks with Pivoting Bundled-Rod Shaft Brass, patinated. Pair of candlesticks. Above a square base plate with a set-off rim, standing on four corner feet and hollow cast on the underside, rise two flat, curved bands. Between them the shaft hangs on a cross bolt with ball ends and can be swung from the vertical into the horizontal. The shaft is cast as a bundle of irregularly formed rods of wood-like appearance, held together in the upper third by crossed cords and running out below into a ring and a ball finial. Above this a compressed vase form and a cylindrical neck carrying a deep, widely projecting pan; at its centre sits a small recessed socket. When swung down, the base plate stands vertical and the candlestick can probably also be used as a wall light; there are no screw fixing points on the base plates. The surfaces with a dark, red-brown age patina, the base plates stained, the drip pans scratched in places. Age-appropriate used condition. H. 42.5 cm, base 13x13 cm The bound bundle of rods derives from the Roman fasces, the bundle of rods carried by the lictors, and from Neoclassicism onwards was taken into the repertoire of interior furnishing as a sign of cohesion and order; as a candlestick shaft it appears above all in the Empire style and its successors in the 19th century. The pivoting connection of base and shaft is the particular feature of this pair: raised, the candlesticks stand free on the table; swung down, the shaft lies flat and the base plate stands vertical. In rooms without fixed lighting the same candlestick could thus serve either at the table or on the wall as required. Pairs are considerably more sought after than single pieces because they were intended for symmetrical display.