Vintage Candlestick Pair Solid Brass Barley Twist Stem Thistle Tops

This tall pair of heavy candlesticks are made of solid brass with a mottled bronze patination on the spiral stem and saucer base. The candle cups are formed in a Scottish thistle design. They stand 10 3/4 inches tall with a base 4 1/2 inches across. Each weighs a virtually untippable 3 pounds. The candle cups hold 3/4-inch diameter tapers. The pair is sometimes attributed to Maitland Smith, a firm founded in 1979 by a London antiques dealer to produce fine antique-style home furnishings. This pair, however, is unmarked. 

The base of each is covered in navy blue felt to protect surfaces they're placed on. They were cast in two pieces in the traditional manner with the stem screwing into the base. The twisted stem gives them the name "barley twist" candlesticks because they resemble sticks of barley sugar, first used as trim on furniture in the 1600's. Antique barley twist candlesticks were often made of oak that darkened over the years. The bronze wash on these brass sticks imitates that. The twist decoration became very fashionable in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.

This matched pair of candlesticks stand perfectly straight and are in excellent condition with no damage and little wear...a handsome and elegant set.

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