Near East / Holy Land, Byzantine Empire, ca. 6th to 9th century CE. An elegant bronze candelabrum from an elite home or wealthy church. Unusually, this example is decorated with three small birds spaced at regular intervals around a flat ring. Six large holes in the ring served to hold candles. Three openwork crosses on the ring are immediately next to ring loops, each with a chain composed of long links decorated with further openwork crosses. These three chains meet at a six-pointed star form with a heavy loop and hook for suspension at its top. The candelabrum was made to be hung from a heavy stand. Size: 12.65" W x 28.25" H (32.1 cm x 71.8 cm)
This object was made at a time when tremendous effort and innovation went into producing art with Christian themes. Bronze furniture and decorative art were luxury items in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, and the Byzantine Empire that followed, reserved only for the richest households. Even there, they seem to have been heirlooms; some scholars believe that they were passed down through multiple generations, gaining additions like crosses, new lids, or new feet to suit changing decorative styles. Imagine how the light would have played off of this when it was new and polished to shine!
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Richard Wagner collection, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, collected in the 1960s
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#143467
Condition
Pretty, slightly mottled pale green patina with very light deposits on surface. Chains are all in nice condition with good movement. Small casting flaw on surface where one of the openwork crosses is.