Pricket Candlestick

Despite its small dimensions, this single-light pricket candlestick features an expressive form and displays a fully developed three-tiered compositional layout: a shaped three-lobed base, a carved baluster-shaped shaft, and a candle socket. The base features a traditional triangular plan with three broad, smoothly curved supports, the edges of which are adorned with relief work. Asymmetrical scrolls and carved ornaments on the lobed surfaces, decorated with a floral pattern reminiscent of acanthus leaves, represent a classic Rococo motif. The surfaces of the base are treated with rich relief rather than flatly. The craftsman models patterns upon them, allowing the play of light and shadow to emphasize the resilient, vibrant plasticity of the form.
The base transitions smoothly into the vertical axis of the candlestick, creating an impression of an organically modelled composition from bottom to top. The compactly designed shaft features a rhythmic alternation of concave and convex volumes. A short baluster with raised cartouche-like scrolls leads into a cylindrical extension, which terminates in a tulip-shaped candle socket. Based on the character of the carving, proportions, and typology of the base, the presented candlestick is close to examples of 18th-century Western Ukrainian ecclesiastical woodcarving. The piece serves as an excellent example of the folk interpretation of Rococo stylistics by local carvers, who seamlessly integrated European styles with traditions of wooden sculpture.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery