Ottoman Cast Bronze Candlestick

---

Turkey, 17th century
74cm high 

This monumental cast-bronze candlestick is undecorated, for its smooth concave-sided body, deep drip-tray, and impressive size provides the visual impact which would otherwise have relied on a highly decorative scheme often covered in Islamic objects. Indeed, Ottoman metal objects were often left completely undecorated in order to emphasise the quality of the objects form.
This candlestick’s impressive size, weight and quality of casting suggests that it may have been used in the imperial Ottoman court, or in a public setting, such as an imperial mosque. Similar candlesticks were traditionally placed on either side of a mihrab (“prayer niche”), where Muslims prayed facing the direction of Mecca.