- Title
- Base of Candlestand
- Date Made
- Late 13th century
- Medium
- Brass, inlaid with silver and gold
- Dimensions
- 2 3/8 x 5 1/4 in. (6.03 x 13.33 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.2002.1.575
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
Most likely used in a private home, this diminutive candlestand, which lacks the columnar middle section and small tray on which the lamp rested, was transformed into a luxury item by the extensive gold and silver inlay that covers it. In contrast to clay and glass lamps (see M.2002.1.73 and M.88.129.181), this stand, which probably had a matching lamp, was most likely much costlier. A similar and more complete example in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, includes an inscription about its owner, revealing that such stands were commissioned by members of the ruling elite.
