The Gloucester Candlestick: manufacture & decoration
Casting
The candlestick was cast in three parts, using the lost wax method. A recent sample casting shows how this may have been done. The base, stem and drip pan were modelled separately in wax. Much of the detailing of the figures would have been formed in the wax, to be finished once the casting was complete. Wax sprues, known as runners and risers, were attached to the models in strategic places. These created channels to enable the flow of the metal to the mould and the escape of gases during casting.
Construction
On its arrival at the V&A in 1861, the candlestick was held together by two pieces of gilded copper tubing slotted inside it. Study of the candlestick’s interior revealed that its sections were originally joined in a different way: prongs on the base slotted into recesses in the stem, locking the sections together. Discreet marks aided the assembly of the object. The top of the stem has similar recesses, though the drip pan shows no evidence of prongs and has no assembly marks.
The original fixings allowed light to pass through the entire candlestick, emphasising its openwork decoration. They may have failed under the pressure of frequent movement or disassembly, and the copper tubing inserted, effectively ‘removing’ the openwork and creating instead a raised relief. Analysis was carried out to measure the chemical composition of the copper tubing to try and discover how and when the candlestick might have been repaired. Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) was used, which does not damage the object’s surface. The elements found in the metal are comparable to those in other medieval examples, suggesting that the tubing might be an early repair. These elements and impurities are, however, also found in later objects. Curators decided to display the object in the Medieval & Renaissance Galleries as it was originally intended to be seen (minus the copper tubing), showcasing the complex openwork form of the candlestick for the first time in over a hundred years.
05b Copper tubing
When dismantling the candlestick, the copper tubing originally securing the three sections of the Gloucester Candlestick together was revealed. Museum no. 7649-1861
05a Copper tubing
When dismantling the candlestick, the copper tubing originally securing the three sections of the Gloucester Candlestick together is revealed. Museum no. 7649-1861
04 The finished sample casting
04 The finished sample casting
03 Detail of a casting flaw
The alloy of the candlestick, which has a large proportion of silver in it, may have aided the flow of the metal through the complex mould. This alloy is highly unusual in medieval metalwork, and to date, no comparative alloy from this period has been found. During finishing the decoration and detail was further defined by carving and chiselling, although the addition of silver created an almost flawless casting with little required afterwork.
01 Wax model
The wax models were then covered in a material that was resistant to heat, such as clay (known as the investment). This material surrounded the wax protecting its shape. Once the investment had hardened, the wax was melted out and the metal was then poured into the mould, taking the shape of the original wax model. In the case of the Gloucester candlestick where the wax was carved in openwork there was no need for core pins to secure the two investment materials together. There would be no chance for the core to shift as it would make direct contact with the outer mould in places were there is open work. Generally the core was removed after the casting, but can still be found in some pieces. There is no evidence of any investment material on the candlestick.
05c Copper tubing
When dismantling the candlestick, the copper tubing originally securing the three sections of the Gloucester Candlestick together is revealed. Museum no. 7649-1861
02 The sample casting removed from its mould
After the metal had cooled, the craftsman removed the investment, runners and risers and set about finishing the cast sections and repairing any flaws. In this instance, there is no evidence of the runners left upon the finished candlestick. It is also astonishing that despite the complex nature of the candlestick’s decoration the casting, there is only a small section of flashing (where the metal flows through gaps in the investment) on the inside of the stem, and only minor flaws where the metal didn’t run completely within the mould.
07 Detail of the recesses on the stem
The candlestick was originally joined together by prongs on the base slotted into recesses in the stem, locking the sections together.
06 Detail of the fixing prongs (now broken)
The candlestick was originally joined together by prongs on the base slotted into recesses in the stem, locking the sections together. Discreet marks aided the assembly of the object
Copper tubing
When dismantling the candlestick, the copper tubing originally securing the three sections of the Gloucester Candlestick together is revealed. Museum no. 7649-1861
08 Detail of the assembly marks
The candlestick was originally joined by prongs on the base slotted into recesses in the stem, locking the sections together. Discreet marks aided the assembly of the object. This detail shows the marks on the stem and the base.
Decoration
The Gloucester Candlestick is decorated with a menagerie of real and fantastic creatures. Winged dragons support the drip pan, apes clamber along the stem and hybrid animals bite, grab and pull for position among foliage and flowers along the base. Among the dragons and beasts, the symbols of the four evangelists can be found at the knop (the ornamental swell in the middle of the stem). The candlestick has often been interpreted as the struggle of vice and virtue, as the creatures strive to reach the light or sink into the darkness below.
The decoration is closely related to manuscript illumination, which commonly depicted real and mythological beasts of vibrant colours hidden among, struggling against, or growing as part of, the wild undergrowth. On the Gloucester Candlestick, as in many contemporary illuminations, each creature and foliate spray is connected, creating a sense of ordered chaos.
Both speech and silence appear as themes within the decoration. Apes and hybrid creatures are silenced by their neighbours, or are caught whispering to one another. Figures such as apes were associated with sin and the devil in medieval bestiaries, while hybrid creatures such as centaurs were sometimes considered to have no soul. Perhaps the silencing of secretive chatter of these bestial creatures visually expresses the need to listen to the teaching of God. This reinforces the message of the inscription of the drip pan, which says that 'shining doctrine teaches so that man be not shadowed by vice'.
Explore the decoration on the Gloucester Candlestick, Museum no. 7649-1861
The Gloucester Candlestick is decorated with a menagerie of real and fantastic creatures. Winged dragons support the drip pan, apes clamber along the stem and hybrid animals bite, grab and pull for position among foliage and flowers along the base.
Three winged dragons underneath the candlestick’s drip pan
The Latin inscription reads, ‘Burden of light, work of virtue, brilliantly shining teaching preaches so that Man may not be darkened by sin.’
Museum no. 7649-1861
A hybrid creature supporting the underside of the drip pan
Hidden in the shadows beneath the drip pan, this hybrid creature is half-formed, with only one eye.
Museum no. 7649-1861
An ape-like creature with large ears
The ape-like creature silences a dragon by plunging a sword down its throat.
Museum no. 7649-1861
A human figure silencing a winged creature
The human figure silences the winged creature to his left, clamping its jaws with his hand, while the claws of the creature grasp at his ankle.
Museum no. 7649-1861
Detail of the candlestick’s foot
Detail of the candlestick’s foot, where a dragon bites down upon a wriggling snake.
Museum no. 7649-1861
A winged dragon whispering in the ear of a half-man half-bird
A winged dragon reaches to whisper in the ear of a half-man half-bird, who tilts his ear to listen.
Museum no. 7649-1861
Stephanie Severs.
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