Are candlesticks always sold in pairs?

Nearly. 'Pair' turns up in 1,536 of 2,168 titles, and 'single' in only 41. Sets of four and five do appear, but occasionally rather than as a normal offering, and they sit mainly in the upper half of the range.

What is a pricket candlestick?

One with a spike rather than a socket. The candle is pushed down onto the point instead of dropped into a cup. Prickets are named in 70 titles on Sellingantiques and cluster in the church, altar and ecclesiastical group.

Which metal turns up most often?

Brass, by a wide margin. It is named in 879 titles, and 'brass candlesticks' in 453 of them, with Victorian brass the largest single sub-group and Georgian brass behind it. Bronze follows at 283 titles, then ormolu at 139 and silver at 135. Pewter, oak, mahogany, glass and porcelain make up the rest.

How old are the pieces listed?

The dealer-entered date field runs from 1700 to 1960, and 939 listings carry a clean year. The rest are era labels, with '19th Century' the biggest bucket by some way. Titles reach back further than the date field does. A 16th-century Dutch Heemskerk stick and a north European capstan socket stick given as c.1540-60 both appear in the samples.

Do French candlesticks feature strongly?

Yes. 'French' appears in 236 titles against 181 for 'English', and the French end of the archive holds nearly all the ormolu and gilt bronze. Empire is named in 42 titles. Dutch, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, Flemish, Japanese, Indian and Syrian pieces also turn up.

Why are some listed as table lamps?

A visible minority have been converted to electricity, and dealers list those as candlestick table lamps rather than candlesticks. The form is the same underneath; the socket has simply been given over to a bulb fitting.