brass candlesticks - how old are they likely to be?

[nwebb]

Hi there - newbie here and not sure what I have. Are they brass, for one thing? My mother thinks these came from my father's line which means leaving England in the 1820's for NY and then arriving in Hamilton ON Canada in the 1830's. I never thought much of them, like them, but never really had a good look until this week with Christmas upon us.

The engravings make me think of Old English life and times, but what do I know?

FYI, they are about 6 inches tall and seem to be made of one piece.

Any help identifying them would be much appreciated.

Happy Holidays!

 

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[skeeterd]

Any marks on the bottom?

 

[nwebb]

Not much, I'm afraid. There is a small hole inside through which one would presumably push out the candle buts.

 

[BosnMate]

The decorations I believe are called "rococo." They look like the raised rococo carvings on Kentucky Longrifle gun stocks, which were made by Pennsylvania gun makers in the 1700's, during the golden age of the longrifle, before the Revolutionary War. Once the war started, guns were then need in a hurry and and the decorations disappeared, then when the war was over the decorations weren't carved, they tended to be inlaid with silver and brass cutouts. If I remember correctly, there was other furniture etc. decorated with rococo, so that might date the sticks to before 1780. Researching rococo decorations would at least give you a place to start.

Here are three examples of rococo decorations on guns. Click on the photos to enlarge them to see the decorations.

 

[nwebb]

The decorations I believe are called "rococo." They look like the raised rococo carvings on Kentucky Longrifle gun stocks, which were made by Pennsylvania gun makers in the 1700's, during the golden age of the longrifle, before the Revolutionary War. Once the war started, guns were then need in a hurry and and the decorations disappeared, then when the war was over the decorations weren't carved, they tended to be inlaid with silver and brass cutouts. If I remember correctly, there was other furniture etc. decorated with rococo, so that might date the sticks to before 1780. Researching rococo decorations would at least give you a place to start.

View attachment 710565View attachment 710566View attachment 710570Here are three examples of rococo decorations on guns. Click on the photos to enlarge them to see the decorations.

Thanks for this advice, gentleman.

I have been reading a lot over the last 24 hrs. The hexagonal base, the ornateness of the rococo decoration covering the entire candlestick, the fact that it looks like a single cast piece, and the relatively small height (less than six inches) all provide valuable clues. Part of me wonders if this isn't something brought from the west midlands area of England (where my paternal line came from) to North America, and perhaps could be as old as the 1760's.

Any other comments or guesses?

 

[Paleopilot]

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