Kandelaar, vierdelig c. 1590 - 1596

This four-part candlestick, or "Kandelaar, vierdelig" in Dutch, was crafted by an anonymous artist. Candlesticks like this were common in households, not just for light, but as essential objects which signified domesticity and safety. The absence of a known artist opens up questions about craft, labor, and the role of everyday objects. Was it made by a woman, whose work often went uncredited? Or perhaps it was made by a tradesperson. We can only speculate about the hands that shaped it, and their place in society. Consider the light it would have cast, illuminating faces and spaces, and the stories it could tell. This object, though simple, prompts us to consider the lives and labor of those who made and used it.