Pair of pricket candlesticks 1550 - 1890

These compelling pricket candlesticks, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, were crafted by Reinhold Vasters. Observe the structural interplay between the clear glass and the intricate gilded metalwork. Vasters meticulously alternates these materials, creating a rhythmic visual ascent. The fluted glass, divided by bands of gold, refracts light in a dance of transparency and opaqueness. Each segment, from the base to the pricket spike, is clearly defined yet harmoniously connected, suggesting a unity of form. The design embraces a kind of semiotic interplay where glass and metal speak to different symbolic realms—the ethereal and the earthly. This dialogue challenges fixed material associations, engaging with broader cultural ideas about value, display, and ritual. These candlesticks are not merely functional; they are dynamic objects which invite us to reflect on how visual form shapes and reflects our cultural values.