Candlestick, spring

Object/Artifact

-

Saco Museum

Name/Title

Candlestick, spring

Entry/Object ID

2018.6.1

Description

Gimbal-mounted brass spring candle holder. Composed of a cylindrical brass tube 9 1/2" long with threaded fittings on each end. The top 1 1/4" fitting has a tapered top with a round hold approx. 1/2" in diameter and a threaded fitting with a three-armed holder that would have supported a glass globe (now missing). The tube contains an internal spring that would have advanced the candle from the bottom. The removable top portion slides over the tube itself; there is no threaded fitting. The bottom of the tube also has a threaded cap. The inner tube sits in an outer brass holder with a heavy weighted bulbous base, which also has a threaded cap at the bottom. The outer holder has a 3/4" long diagonal dent approx. 2 1/4" from its base that prevents the inner tube from sitting as low in the outer mount as originally intended. Both pieces of the lamp are fitted into a gimbal mount with lyre-shaped brackets attached to a square plate with four holes to fixing to a bulkhead (or possibly a table); iron nut beneath.

Made/Created

Date made

1865 - 1885

Dimensions

Height

14 in

Width

6 in

Depth

3 in

Material

brass

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Because of the rocking motion of the sea, specialized devices, like gimbal mounts, were required for items to perform their everyday function. A gimbal typically consists of rings that pivot at right angles to keep an object upright on a moving vessel. The base plate of this candlestick would probably have been mounted vertically on the wall, and the gimbal would have kept the candle in an erect position. Instruments like compasses and chronometers also were mounted on gimbals to keep them horizontal.