Italian Copper Candlestick

The candle is almost an afterthought up there.

Made in Tuscany, Italy, in the 19th century, this candlestick is worked in copper and silver. Floor-standing candlesticks like this one belonged to a world of large rooms and long shadows: in Italy they are best known from churches, placed near the altar, where height helped carry the light. The shaft rises from a three-sided base with a broad palmette and heavy scrolls. A darkened urn and a collar of reddish copper leaves break up the climb to a shallow, wide-rimmed pan. Three feet tall, 10 inches in diameter.

Few objects improve a room merely by standing up straight.