Ornate Candlesticks
These ornate antique candlesticks bring heavy brass, silver plate and gilt bronze into a room with the kind of presence only nineteenth-century casting achieves.
Ornate Candlesticks
When you search for ornate antique candlesticks, you encounter a dense mix of nineteenth-century brass, silver-plated metal, and gilt bronze designed to hold single candles or multiple branches. The Victorian examples dominate the listings, often featuring heavy cast brass or silver plate, alongside French styles that introduce figural elements and elaborate scrolling.
Beyond standard single-light sticks, the selections include multi-branch candelabras, pricket forms for altar candles, and chambersticks designed for carrying through a house. Many of these pieces share space with table lamps, reflecting nineteenth-century and later conversions where wiring replaced the candle nozzle without altering the heavy cast base.
The aesthetic vocabulary draws heavily on French Rococo Revival, Neoclassical, and Gothic idioms, translating into asymmetrical scrolls, ram's heads, and crisp foliate ornamentation. These forms range from modest Georgian brass stick pairs to monumental multi-light gilt bronze and champleve enamel assemblies.
Assessing quality in cast metal
Surface finish also dictates the hierarchy, as fire-gilded ormolu displays a deep, warm gold lustre that differs visibly from flat modern electroplating. The integrity of construction - such as thick-walled brass sockets and tight, plumb joints - separates robust workshop output from loose, lightweight assemblies.
Listings feature 18th Century, 19th Century, and Victorian periods alongside materials including brass, gilt bronze, and silver plate.
Smith and Sissons and Co·Nymphenburg
The Ornate Candlesticks Glossary
- Candelabra
- A branched candlestick holding multiple lights on separate arms diverging from a central shaft.
- Pricket
- A sharp metal spike set in the drip pan to impale a large candle, common in ecclesiastical or large decorative pieces.
- Champleve
- An enamelling technique where troughs are gouged into a metal surface and filled with vitreous paste before firing.
- Ormolu
- Finely chopped high-karat gold applied to a bronze base, historically through mercury amalgamation.
- Chamberstick
- A low candlestick fitted with a wide saucer base and a loop handle for carrying room to room.
Ornate Candlesticks: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I spot a converted candlestick?
Look for a hole drilled through the base or burner where a cord enters, or inspect the nozzle for a threaded brass fitting that holds a lamp bulb holder.
Many nineteenth-century brass and bronze pieces were electrified in the twentieth century, sometimes with internal wiring running straight through the original centre shaft.
What is the difference between brass and ormolu?
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc cast into structural forms, whereas ormolu uses a bronze base finished with a layer of gold.
Ormolu exhibits a distinct, rich gold coloration that does not tarnish to green verdigris the way exposed brass frequently does over decades.
How should I clean silver plated candlesticks?
Use a soft cloth and a gentle, non-abrasive silver cream to remove tarnish without wearing through the thin silver plating to the base metal underneath.
Avoid aggressive dipping liquids that strip the dark patina from recessed areas and leave the ornamentation looking flat and uniform.
Are pricket candlesticks safe for home use?
Pricket sticks require wide drip pans or fitted metal pillar candles to catch melting wax securely without letting it pool onto furniture.
Because the spike holds the candle through the centre of the base, ensure the wax diameter matches the dish proportion to prevent side drips.