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Antique wrought iron spiral courting candle candlestick
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Antique wrought iron spiral courting candle candlestick
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ITEM: This auction features wrought iron spiral and wooden based primitive candleholder. The French know this candleholder as "Le Rat Du Cave" or "the cellar rat" as these holders found use primarily in the wine cellars of ancient Burgundy, France and very early examples can be found in the museum at the Abbey of Cluny in Burgundy that date to the year 1000. The cellar rat, a rather unseemly label owes its origins to the candleholder's hanger hook, made shaped in a tail-like construction reminiscent of a rat's tail. Tfore, "The cellar rat!" The tail's function is a utilitarian one, simply, to hang the holder from a chair or a wine cask. These candleholders, also had more serious functions to "candle the bottle" to determine if the wine had gone bad, to detect off gassing of dangerous gasses in the cellar determined by the color and brightness of the candle flame, and last but not least, to provide light to avoid stumbling around in the darkness of the cellar. Other descriptions of this candleholder, label it as a "courting" or "suitor's" candle. The father of the daughter would use the spiral holder to "time" the suitor's visit with his daughter. The candle was turned higher (riser is missing on this holder) and tfore burned longer if the suitor was a desirable or trustworthy one measured by the father's standards. It was turned lower for more "unworthy" ones.
MAKER: T are no maker's marks on this holder. DATE: This candleholder is not dated. However, in John Caspall's book, "Making Fire and Light in the Home" this type of candleholder dates to the 18th century and likely somew between 1720 and 1780. MATERIAL: Wrought iron with a lathe-turned base. I am uncertain as to the type of wood the base is made from. DIMENSIONS: Weight of the a bit over 1/2 lb. and approximate shipping weight will be 1 to 2 pounds. The candleholder is 7 1/2 inches tall including the base. CONDITION: The overall condition is good. The metal is in good used condition and without rust or pitting. However, the metal riser found on most of these holders is unfortunately missing. T are several age cracks in the base that do not go all the way through and upon close examination, it looks as though at least one woodworm made a home in this holder. Woodworm is no longer active! TERMS OF AUCTION: Please be aware that I am not an expert in the field of antiques and my descriptions and commentary are only my opinion, but if you have questions regarding this sale, please e-mail me at least a day before the end of the auction and I will attempt to answer them. Please look at the pictures and the description to form your own opinion as to the condition of the piece. Please also understand that the piece is an antique, is old, and is tfore a used item with the normal wear that should be expected of a piece of this age. Within 24 hours of auction's end, I will send an invoice. USPO Priority Mail or Parcel Post may be chosen----keep in mind that PP takes MUCH LONGER to arrive. Insurance is optional---if you choose not to purchase insurance, I will not be responsible for damaged or items lost in the postal system. If I receive no email response from the initial invoice within 7 days, the item will be withdrawn from the transaction and negative feedback will be left. For overseas buyers I require payment by Pay pal only. Thanks for looking at my auction, good luck, and check out my other items !! 
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