FRANCE (XIIIe-XIVe siècle) Lot n° 9

PAY OF PIQUE-CIERGES Wrought iron H. 51 cm, D. 20 cm This pair of candlesticks in wrought iron has a tripod base with oval decoration in slight relief. It supports a barrel with two important knots, ending in a five-lobed cutting bush. From the 12th century with the appearance of Romanesque art, wrought iron; still used massively for weapons and armour; now appears as a decorative art. As the steel industry was under the control of the monastic orders, the latter was from the 13th century onwards at the service of sacred art, particularly in the making of grids and certain liturgical accessories, of which our pair of candlesticks is a perfect example.