Candlestick Supported by Putti

Niccolò Roccatagliata|Sebastiano Nicolini

first half 17th century or later · Copper alloy, with a black lacquer or wax patina. · Robert Lehman Collection

This candlestick (part of a pair with 1975.1.1380) may have been used in an ecclesiastical setting. One of the roundels between their legs contains a cross, while another contains the figure of a saint. The attributes of the saint—an open book and the IHS monogram—suggest that he can be identified as Saint Bernardino of Siena, an influential fifteenth-century Franciscan preacher who was canonized in 1450. Although the coat of arms in the third roundel has not yet been linked with a specific family, they are probably those of the family who commissioned the pair.

Artist

Niccolò Roccatagliata|Sebastiano Nicolini

Date

first half 17th century or later

Medium

Copper alloy, with a black lacquer or wax patina.

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975