Pair of candlesticks 1745 - 1746

Editor: This exquisite, ornate candlestick was crafted between 1745 and 1746 by Thomas Gilpin. It is currently part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's crafted of silver—and what an unbelievable gleam it has! All of that detailed Baroque design gives it a powerful presence, but there is a melancholy mood. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Melancholy? Intriguing. Yes, the Baroque can be a bit… much. Like a ballroom stuffed into a thimble! I think it is about aspirations and how fleeting time can be. Notice the flamboyant flourishes – leaves caught mid-unfurl. A reaching for light. Silver, especially, speaks of luxury, of course, but its tarnish is the uninvited guest at the feast. Does that change the melancholy you sensed, maybe adds another layer to it? Editor: I guess it shifts it a little... I was so focused on the design I hadn’t thought about how the metal itself might change over time. Now it feels more complex – beautiful, definitely, but with that subtle suggestion of decline, as if all grandeur is temporary. Curator: Precisely! And consider the flame that once flickered there, illuminating a face, illuminating a room. Was it love, was it loss that it shone upon? Did this light reveal truths, or cast them into shadow? Such a seemingly simple object opens up so many paths! Editor: That is really interesting... So much more to these kinds of objects than initially meets the eye. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely. Every object has its story to whisper; you just have to lean in and listen.