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• 1 2024-10-23T09:32:35-07:00 LEARN MORE: Candlestick 20 plain 2024-11-06T13:58:52-08:00 When was this candlestick made?

  This candlestick was made in the late 13th century, probably in Konya or Siirt, Turkey. During this time, the ruling Turkic tribe, the Seljuks, had submitted to the Ilkhanids, a branch of the Mongols, as their vassals. Because of the Ilkhanids’ origins in Central Asia, influences from this area had a profound impact on Seljuq art. 
  
  The Ilkhanids were known for their architectural skills as well as their work across a variety of media. The intricate detail of this candlestick probably relies on the use of cloth, ceramics, and paper for recording and transferring patterns like those of the flora and fauna and royal life, including equine and princely imagery, that we see here. The sumptuous nature of this candlestick is also shown in its skillful use of inlaid gold and silver on bronze. Similar metalwork skills can be seen in this Footed Cup, made by the Ilkhanids perhaps 75 years later than the Worcester Art Museum’s candlestick. This tall footed cup shows both a form and a motif, the lotus flower, that connect it to similar vessels made in central and eastern Asia.
  
  Why was this candlestick made and how was it used?
   

  
  As the Ilkhanids began to dominate a vast land empire, architecture and art were being transformed. Candlesticks had long been used in public and private spaces, in secular and religious contexts, but with the advent of the Ilkhanids, a new style of candlestick emerged that became tremendously popular. This type of holder was characterized by the wide body that slopes into a bell-like shape, narrows to just the stick, and then has a small repetition of the base structure above the narrow stick for the holder.  

  
  The well-wishing inscription and princely iconography on the Worcester Art Museum’s candlestick imply that it was likely used in a non-religious setting, perhaps a room intended for hosting guests or feasting. The absence of religious imagery or inscriptions supports this interpretation, as pieces for personal or domestic use often featured secular or celebratory elements, such as blessings for prosperity or symbols of nobility. Just as today, the wealthy in medieval Anatolia collected various objects to create an impressive home.  A candlestick was both a beautiful and practical object, bringing light into rooms while enhancing the aesthetic of the space. Its functional role in illuminating homes was paired with its decorative appeal, making it a valued item in domestic life.
  
  
  How was this candlestick made?

  Metalwork inlaid with precious silver and gold only arose in the mid-1100s in Iran, some 150 years before this candlestick was made. The inlaid metals added detail to the image and enriched the color of the candlestick. Here, the silver and gold add richness to the royal imagery of falconers and horses and also enhance the calligraphic script around the base. Below is another candlestick in which hunting imagery and calligraphic text are enhanced with gold.

  Brass candlesticks were often cast in separate pieces which were then soldered together, especially in the case of a more complicated structure like a candlestick.  The candlestick’s components might have first been molded out of wax, which was then encased in clay, creating a clay mold into which the hot metal could be poured. The decoration so characteristic of Islamic art and architecture was no small feat; especially on curved or sloping surfaces, metalworkers took great pains to carve their design throughout the entire structure. Some craftsmen were dually talented; however, in many cases objects were sent from one workshop to another throughout the crafting and decorating process.
  
  
  Who made this candlestick?

  The artisans who created this candlestick were experts in the techniques of metalworking from Anatolia, present day Turkey.  They were organized in workshops with a master metalsmith and apprentices. The secrets of the profession were often passed down from one generation to another within a family. The artisans were trained to work with bronze, gold, and silver to craft intricate details and ornamental patterns. Other candlesticks similar to this one, also made in Anatolia, exist with inscriptions in Armenian and Arabic using the Kufic script. 
  
  Where was this candlestick produced?
  

  This bronze candlestick with gold and silver inlay was most likely made in Konya or Siirt, Turkey. Candlesticks varied in shape and size across the medieval Mediterranean, however in places such as Turkey and Iran, they were often on the smaller side. Smaller metal candlesticks were popular in the 1200s and tended to be around nine centimeters in height, like this candlestick. The bobbin-shaped base of the Worcester Art Museum’s candlestick is characteristic of Anatolian and Persian candlesticks from the 1200s. These distinct candlesticks at times were used as a form of currency in the medieval Mediterranean, especially in Anatolia and Iran. The combination of bronze metalwork, Kufic script, ornamental decoration, and gold inlay are characteristic of other candlesticks from the second half of the 1200s. The candlestick looks almost identical to an early 14th-century Anatolian candlestick, the only difference being variation in the placement of both the script and ornamental patterns. The candlestick from the 14th century features an Armenian inscription (below). 
  
  Where did this candlestick go?
  

  The candlestick was made in or near Konya or Siirt, in Turkey, for a wealthy patron. The intricate design and fine metalwork combined with the falcon iconography suggest that such a piece was likely sent to a ranking member of society, perhaps a government official or a member of the nobility. Given the ornate nature of the piece and the kind wishes inscribed into the metal, there is a chance the candlestick was not merely a standard present, but rather was used as a gift. Its iconography would have made it suitable for a recipient from either a local or faraway culture. Across the Mediterranean, hunting with falcons was viewed as a noble pastime. Imagery of noblemen on horseback engaged in falcon hunting was popular across many cultures, especially in the Islamic world but also in Christian Europe and elsewhere.  It has been suggested that the experience of Crusaders in the eastern Mediterranean, including in Anatolia, whetted their appetite for falconry and spurred its popularity in medieval France, England and elsewhere.
  
  
  What does this candlestick tell us about the early global world?

  This candlestick helps us imagine the medieval globe in the 1200s. The Mediterranean region, which is home to this artifact, was crossed by numerous interconnected trade routes that linked groups together. There was a substantial trade in luxury goods, and objects like this candlestick also served as gifts. Through this candlestick, we are also able to see how metalworking technology, ornamental iconography, and the practice of falconry crossed boundaries around the medieval globe. Falconry has roots in early Iran, in the Sasanian Empire, but was adopted by many cultural groups and crossed into new territories such as Turkey, as seen through the delicate motifs on this candlestick. Through conquest, trade, and adoption, both objects and cultural practices shifted and traveled across the medieval globe, inspiring artists, metalworkers, and patrons alike. 
  
  Candlestick: Sources & Further Reading

  “A History of Falconry.” International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey, April 23, 2018. https://iaf.org/a-history-of-falconry/. 

  Aga-Oglu, Mehmet. “A BRONZE CANDLESTICK OF THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY.” Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts of the City of Detroit 11, no. 6 (1930): LXXXIV–LXXXVI. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41501431. Accessed September 6, 2024. 

  Allan, James W., and Francis Maddison. Metalwork treasures from the Islamic Courts. Doha, Qatar, London: Museum of Islamic Art ; Islamic Art Society, 2002. 

  “Anatolia and the Caucasus, 1000–1400 A.D.: Chronology: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: The 

  Metropolitan Museum of Art.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Accessed 

  September 19, 2024. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/07/waa.html. 

  Allan, J. W. “Originality in Bronze: A Thirteenth Century Persian School of Metalworkers.” Iran, vol. 

  15, Jan. 1977, pp. 156–64. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.2307/4300571. 

  Dodds, Jerrilynn. "A Note on the Mounted Falconer." In Al-Kitab: Juan Zozaya Stabel-Hansen, 47-56. Madrid: Fernández Ibáñez, Carmelo, 2019.

  Harper, Prudence O. Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 116, no. 3, 1996, pp. 567–69.  JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/605190. 

  Hillenbrand, Robert. “The Ilkhanids and Timurids.” Essay. In Islamic Art and Architecture, 196–225. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1999. 

  Irwin, Robert. Islamic Art in Context: Art, Architecture, and the Literary World. Perspectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ : New York: Prentice-Hall ; H.N. Abrams, 1997.

  Kadoi, Yuka. “THE ROAD FROM CHINA TO IRAN: A JADE CANDLESTICK IN THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO.” Iran 47 (2009): 123–31. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25651468. Accessed September 6, 2024. 

  Komaroff, Linda. “Pen-Case and Candlestick: Two Sources for the Development of Persian Inlaid Metalwork.” Metropolitan Museum Journal 23 (1988): 89–102. Accessed September 6, 2024. https://doi.org/10.2307/1512849. 

  Kanda, Yui. “If I Circumambulate Around Him, I Will Be Burnt: A Brass Candlestick Endowed to the Mausoleum of Imam Musa al-Kazim, Kazimayn.” Iran, February 2, 2023, 1–19. Accessed September 6, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1080/05786967.2023.2170817. 

  Matić, Uroš, and Bo Jensen, eds. 2017. Archaeologies of Gender and Violence. Oxbow Books. Accessed September 6, 2024. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat09478a&AN=csh.ocn993623943&site=eds-live&scope=site.

  Mellink, Machteld J. “Anatolia: Old and New Perspectives.” Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 110, no. 2 (1966): 111–29. http://www.jstor.org/stable/985744.

  Nicolle, David. “The Iconography of a Military Elite: Military Figures on an Early Thirteenth-Century Candlestick (Part III).” Accessed September 6, 2024. https://doi.org/10.6082/50F4-R896. 

  ÖZDEMİR, Yurdagül. 2022. “Konya Arkeoloji Müzesi’nde Bulunan Bizans Dönemi Bronz 

  Buhurdanlar / Byzantine Bronze Censers in the Konya Archeological Museum.” Arkhaia 

  Anatolika 5 (May): 224–51. doi:10.32949/Arkhaia.2022.49.

  Pancaroglu, Oya. "Figural Ornament in Medieval Islamic Art." In A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, edited by Finbarr Barry Flood and Gülru Necipoğlu, 501-20. 2017.

  Robinson, B. W. “Oriental Metalwork in the Gambier-Parry Collection.” The Burlington Magazine 109, no. 768 (1967): 169–168. http://www.jstor.org/stable/875191. Accessed September 6, 2024. 
  Yanagi, Munemoto. Byzantium. Secaucus, N.J.: Chartwell, 1978.