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Description: | An incomplete fragment from a cast copper alloy candlestick of probable later Medieval or Post- Medieval date (c. AD 1350 - 1650). The fragment consists of the stem of the candle; the base section, including the basal drip tray, is lost: the break is relatively recent and unpatinated. The fragment is cylindrical in nature being broadly sub-rectangular in plan and circular in cross section. The fragment tapers from an unfinished wide mouth to the broken edge. There is no evidence of a rim although the outer edge of the mouth is slightly flared. The exterior edge is decorated with a series of cast or turned circumferential rings positioned evenly along the length of the shaft either singly or in pairs. The fragment has a dark green corroded patina which covers all surfaces. In places this patina has laminated exposing a brown coloured metal beneath which is corroded with a bright green active corrosion product. Patches of the outer edge of the fragment are a black colour and this may be an original surface treatment of linseed oil and soot to create a black shiny surface. This form of applied surface is seen in later medieval and specifically Tudor artefacts. A direct parallel has not been found although this would fit well with 'Bunsen type candlesticks' published by Brownsword (1985, 'English Latten Domestic Candlesticks 1400-1700'. no. 7). These tend to be dated to the late fifteenth/sixteenth centuriesThe artefact measures 55.9mm length, is 29.1mm maximum exterior diameter, 24.2mm internal diameter and weighs 69.72 grams
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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