Chamber candlestick or taperstick 1819 - 1820

This chamber candlestick, made by Christopher Binger I sometime between the late 18th and early 19th century, is fashioned from gleaming silver. The candleholder's design is ingenious. Molten wax would drip onto the square tray, preventing a mess. A snuffer hangs jauntily from a curved arm, ready to extinguish the flame. All made possible by the malleability of silver, which can be cast, hammered, and formed with relative ease. But don't be fooled by its small size; creating this piece demanded considerable labor. Mining, smelting, and refining the silver, not to mention the skill of the silversmith, who would have undergone years of training. In its day, this candlestick would have been a luxury item, a signifier of wealth. Today, it reminds us that even the most utilitarian objects are the product of complex social and economic systems. Its value is not just monetary, but resides in the history of its making.