Pair of Candlesticks
- unknown artist
Unknown artist, Pair of Candlesticks, 1770-1810. Silver; 5¾ × 2¾ × 2¾ in. Gift of the Collection of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 2013.390.1-2.
When Spanish explorers first arrived in Mexico in 1519, they found that gold and silver were abundant. Local peoples had a long tradition of metalworking techniques, including filigree, casting, and hammering. Silversmiths from Spain began to immigrate to the Americas shortly after the conquest and introduced European forms and styles. Through time the synthesis of Indigenous and European styles became integrated, culminating in the lush excesses of colonial Baroque and Rococo metalwork. As a result of the abundance of silver in the Americas, Spanish colonial silver is often notable for its thickness and weight.
The early Neoclassical form of these candlesticks became extremely popular in colonial Latin America after approximately 1770. This pair bears the hallmark of the city Ciudad Real de Chiapas, Mexico consisting of a castle tower and a rampant lion, as well as the hallmark of a crown indicating that the royal tax (quinto real) was paid.
– revised by Kathryn Santner, Frederick and Jan Mayer Fellow of Spanish Colonial Art, 2023