Silvered Copper Candlesticks
Silvered copper candlesticks combine the warmth of base metal with bright metallic plating, offering timeless illumination for domestic spaces.
Silvered Copper Candlesticks
Silvered copper candlesticks are lighting devices manufactured across several centuries, incorporating materials such as copper, Old Sheffield plate, and silver plate. The selection on this page focuses heavily on pairs from the Georgian and Victorian eras, alongside 18th-century examples.
Forms range from standard table candlesticks to telescopic designs that adjust in height, as well as chamber candlesticks and candelabra. Styles span from Georgian and George III to Grand Regency, Victorian, and Arts and Crafts periods, occasionally utilising materials like paktong or turquoise.
Most pieces presented here arrive as matched pairs, designed for symmetrical placement on mantelpieces, sideboards, or dining tables. Buyers will encounter both plain functional designs and heavily ornamented Victorian interpretations.
How they were made
Makers utilised copper as a durable core material, fusing or plating it with a thin layer of silver to achieve the appearance of solid silver at a lower cost. Old Sheffield plate techniques involved melting silver onto a copper ingot before rolling them together into sheets.
Construction methods often included weighted bases filled with resin, pitch, or wood to provide stability for the tall shafts. Specialised designs incorporated mechanical telescopic inner tubes, allowing the height of the candlestick to be altered.
Several telescopic pairs hide their sliding mechanism entirely inside the shaft, waiting to surprise you with extra height when pulled.
What varies in quality
Quality in silvered copper candlesticks depends on the crispness of the cast ornamentation and the proportion of the design. Pieces showing sharp detail in the mouldings and foliate patterns sit at the upper end of the range.
The integrity of the silver plating over the copper core dictates the visual success of the piece. Fine examples retain their original plating evenly across high points and detailed crevices without excessive base metal bleed-through.
The Silvered Copper Candlesticks Glossary
- Old Sheffield plate
- An early form of silver plating produced by fusing a sheet of silver to a copper block before rolling them out together. This method creates a distinctive appearance as the underlying copper occasionally shows through with age.
- Telescopic candlestick
- A design featuring sliding concentric tubes that permit the height of the column to be adjusted. Such mechanisms required careful engineering to maintain stability when extended.
- Paktong
- A copper-nickel-zinc alloy originating from China, valued for its bright silver-like colour and resistance to corrosion. It was frequently utilised for high-end lighting wares in the eighteenth century.
- Chamber candlestick
- A low candlestick equipped with a pan to catch dripping wax and a ring handle for carrying around a residence. They provided portable illumination before the advent of electricity.
- Candelabra
- A branched candlestick holding multiple lights on a single base. These larger lighting fixtures were typically positioned as centrepieces on formal dining tables.
Silvered Copper Candlesticks: Frequently Asked Questions
Were these candlesticks made for everyday use?
Georgian and Victorian households relied on these pieces for ambient lighting before electric lamps existed. They stood on dining tables, mantelpieces, and in bedrooms to illuminate dark hallways.
Many show signs of historical wear that reflect their active role in domestic life. Today, they serve equally well for dining illumination or as decorative objects of interior design.
How do I date a telescopic candlestick?
Telescopic mechanisms are strongly associated with the Georgian and Victorian periods, particularly around the turn of the nineteenth century. Examining the construction of the sliding tubes and the weight distribution helps narrow down the production era.
Stylistic cues on the base and nozzle, such as neoclassical urn motifs or Victorian floral scrolls, provide further confirmation of the manufacturing period.
What is the difference between silver plate and Old Sheffield plate?
Old Sheffield plate involves the mechanical fusion of a silver sheet onto a copper base through heat and pressure. This technique predates modern electroplating and produces a rich, deep surface quality.
Later Victorian silver plate typically utilises electroplating processes, depositing a microscopic layer of silver via an electrical current. The older fused method is readily identified by thin lines of copper visible at exposed edges.