Pair of candlesticks 1752 - 1753

These candlesticks, crafted by John Cafe, feature a decorative motif where the base and top are adorned with stylized shells. Throughout history, the shell has been a symbol deeply interwoven with notions of pilgrimage and journey. Consider how, in Botticelli’s "Birth of Venus," the goddess emerges from a scallop shell, a potent symbol of rebirth and divine beauty. Similarly, the shell has been used as a signifier of Saint James the Great, whose emblem marks routes of spiritual quest. Here, these shells may point towards a similar journey. Light, as a symbol, often represents knowledge and enlightenment, and the shell a spiritual journey. Thus the candlesticks are not mere objects of utility, but emblems of spiritual and intellectual pursuit. These cycles of symbols never truly disappear; they resurface, evolve, and are continuously reinterpreted.