Design for a Candlestick 1472 - 1528

This is Pietro Torrigiano's "Design for a Candlestick," an ink drawing teeming with symbols of rebirth and transformation. The putti, those cherubic figures, dance around the candlestick, echoing classical motifs of innocence and divine love, recalling their counterparts in ancient Roman art. Note the serpent coiled upwards. It's a potent symbol, isn't it? Throughout history, the serpent has appeared both as a symbol of chaos and healing, from the tempting serpent in the Garden of Eden to the Rod of Asclepius, the Greco-Roman symbol of medicine. Here, it embodies the cyclical nature of time, shedding its skin and being reborn, much like the flame it encircles. It speaks to our deepest subconscious recognition of life's endless cycle of destruction and creation, forever imprinted in our cultural memory. As the light flickers, it projects shadows, reminding us that symbols such as the serpent never truly disappear. They are constantly reborn in new forms.