Mid-18th c. Birdcage Stable Candle holder, Lignum vitae & brass, early lighting

A fantastic and rare 18th century adjustable'birdcage' or'stable' candle holder. Made of brass with I believe a Lignum vitae turned wood base. It is as found, which depending on your tastes, has fortunately or unfortunately been polished. The turned wood base seems untouched and with original finish.

Initials carved in the bottom, read either WHH or MHH depending on which way you hold it. The stamped marks also rivet through the two brass layers that make the top ring.

Measures 9" tall and 6" diameter across the drip plate. The brass drip plate is firmly attached to the base. There is an iron pin holding it firmly to the wood in the center. There are 6 brass strut rods extending up to the top. It has generously wide handle or chair hook.

The candle socket is constructed from 3 pieces of brass, the socket is attached to a plate that slides up and down the 6 brass rods to adjust candle height. There is a strip of brass that sets the tension so the socket holds securely on the vertical rods. Condition is very good for age but not perfect. There is an old crack in the wood base shown in pic #7. The very top is somewhat loose, it has some wiggle to it where the rods go through the top plate and are not fastened down. Overall it is still very secure and not falling off. While I have seen these made of tin on the American market, I have only found one of these in brass listed for sale. "A mid-18th century turned stained fruitwood and sheet brass'stable' or'birdcage' candlestick, English". For a similar example see R. Feild, Domestic Metalwork 1640 - 1820 (1998), p. 171, where it is written'this portable candlestick, probably used in stables or haylofts, is commonly found in iron, but seldom in brass. The candle socket slides up the brass struts so that the candle can be raised as it burns down. It is thought that whilst the struts or rods would not prevent the flame coming into contact with straw and other highly flammable materials, they would have prevented the candle from toppling out of the holder, which would have been'an invaluable contribution to safety. Birdcage Stable Candle holder, Lignum vitae & brass, early lighting" is in sale since Monday, July 8, 2019. This item is in the category "Antiques\Primitives".

The seller is "ironandstrawantiques" and is located in Greensboro, North Carolina. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Belize, Ecuador, Egypt, Iceland, Sri lanka, Macao, Oman, Peru, Viet nam, Uruguay, Russian federation.

• Region of Origin: US-Northeast
• Listed By: Dealer or Reseller
• Material: Brass and wood
• Original/Reproduction: Original
• Date of Creation: Pre-1800
• Type: CANDLE HOLDER