This article is about the candle holder. For the hydroid genus Candelabrum, see Candelabridae.
A candelabra, with lit candles
A candelabrum (plural candelabra but also used as the singular form) is a candle holder with multiple arms.[1][2][3] "Candelabra" can be used to describe a variety of candle holders including chandeliers. However, candelabra can also be distinguished as branched candle holders that are placed on a surface such as the floor, stand, or tabletop. The chandeliers, on the other hand, are hung from the ceiling.[4]
The Romans used the term to describe a form of ornamental lighting,[5] which may be a tall stand that supports a lamp. In Judaism, the menorah and hanukkiah are special kinds of candelabra. Candelabra are also used in churches, in ceremonies such as Tenebrae, in certain Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churchliturgy such as the dikirion and trikirion. Candelabra in the form of branched candlesticks also became popular in homes as decorative lighting.
In modern times, electricity has largely relegated candleholders to decorative use in homes. The interior designers nowadays continue to model light fixtures and lighting accessories after candelabra and candlesticks. The term ‘candelabra’ is commonly used to describe small light bulbs used in chandeliers and other lighting fixtures made for decoration as well as lighting.
Etymology
Candelabra used for state occasions at the Belgian court (1960)
The first known use of candelabra in English was in 1776,[6] and candelabrum in 1811.[7] The word is originally Latin, where candēlābrum (candela, candle, -b(a) rum, holder) means a "candlestick”, ultimately deriving from candēla, meaning "candle". Candalabrum is the singular form and candēlābra is the plural.[6]
While candelabra is the correct plural form of candelabrum, due to changes in English usage over time, candelabra is now popularly used as the singular form, with candelabras the supposed plural form.[5] "Candelabrums" is also sometimes seen for the same reasons.
Candelabra is a form of candlestick; candlestick is defined as an object that holds a candle,[8][9] and candelabra can be defined as a branched holder that supports multiple candles.[3][10] "Candelabra" has been used to describe all branched candle holders, including chandeliers. The distinction between a candelabrum and a chandelier, the candelabrum being a candle holder placed on a surface, while the chandelier is hung from the ceiling.[4]
These candle holders were first used in the ancient world. A notable example is the seven-armed candelabrum or menorah, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible with instruction on its creation to Moses.[11] The menorah is depicted in the Arch of Titus following the capture of Jerusalem. It has since become a symbol of Judaism and an Emblem of Israel, as well as a model of seven-armed candelabra used in medieval Christian churches.[12] A bronze candelabrum was made by Callimachus for the Erechtheion in Athens, to carry the lamp sacred to Athena. In this case it is possible the lamp was suspended.[13]
While "candelabrum" is now often used to mean a branched candle holder, the term has been used to describe a variety of lighting devices. A candelabrum may describe a tall stand that supports a lamp.[14][15] The Roman candelabra may consist of a stalk or reed, the upper part moulded with projecting feature to carry lights at the top, and a base resting on three lions' or griffins' feet. The origin of the term, which means a candlestick, suggests that Roman candelabra may have a disk with a spike on top to carry a wax or tallow candle (candela or funalia). Candelabra, however, can have a disk at the top to carry a lamp, and sometimes there was a hollow cup, in which resinous woods were burnt.[13]
The Roman candelabra used in public building can be of significant size, and they may have bulky supports in stone or marble, of which many examples were found in the thermae. These consists of a base, often triangular, a shaft either richly moulded or carved with the acanthus plant and crowned with a large cup or basin with similar design to the small sacrificial altars. Examples of the latter excavated from Hadrian's Villa are now found in the Vatican Museums.[13] Simpler tall slender candelabra with three feet were used in a domestic setting in the Etruscan and Roman periods. These may be made of wood, but many made of bronze were excavated in Herculaneum and Pompeii.[16][15] Other types of candelabra also existed in the Roman period; these may consist of a figure supporting one or two branches with plates for lamps, or a type that may be placed on a table, with a pillar that has branches from which lights are suspended.[16]
Gothic candelabra in Frankfurt, Germany
The Roman examples seem to have served as models for many of the candelabra in the churches in Italy.[13] Liturgical services were performed with the use of candlelight, and candelabra with prickets may be used to hold the candles in churches. In the 4th century, Pope Sylvester I presented to churches with brass candelabra inlaid with silver.[17] Seven-armed candelabra, mentioned in the Bible, may also be found in various churches, including the Eastern Orthodox Church.[18] Candelabra may be used in some religious ceremonies.
A five-light candelabrum c. 1785
Candelabra in the form of branched candle holders were also used in homes of the wealthy. Good wax candles were expensive in the early period, while tallow candles made of animal fat were smelly, smokey and burned quickly, candle holders were therefore rare in ordinary households.[19]
By the 17th century in France, candelabra was defined by César-Pierre Richelet as "a large room candlestick which has several branches", although candelabra existed in other forms.[20] The candelabra may be placed on a fireplace mantel, table, guéridon, and torchère, or if large, on the floor. In England in the early 18th century, candelabra may be used interchangeably with a number of terms, such as branches, chandeliers, lustres, girandoles, and wall-lights.[21] Girandoles were a form of candelabra with crystals in the 17th century, but were sold as candelabra in England by the end of the 18th century.[22] Candelabra became popular in the 18th century.[23] Two-branched candelabra were then the most common, and some designs allowed the branches to be detached leaving a single-armed candlestick. By the 19th century, silver candelabra with multiple branches were often used together with elaborate centerpieces on dinner tables.[23]
Charlottenburg Candelabra a pair of ornamental colonnades in west Berlin with a passing resemblance to candelabra
Related Research Articles
The candela is the unit of luminous intensity in the International System of Units (SI). It measures luminous power per unit solid angle emitted by a light source in a particular direction. Luminous intensity is analogous to radiant intensity, but instead of simply adding up the contributions of every wavelength of light in the source's spectrum, the contribution of each wavelength is weighted by the luminous efficiency function, the model of the sensitivity of the human eye to different wavelengths, standardized by the CIE and ISO. A common wax candle emits light with a luminous intensity of roughly one candela. If emission in some directions is blocked by an opaque barrier, the emission would still be approximately one candela in the directions that are not obscured.
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE.
The menorah is a seven-branched candelabrum that is described in the Hebrew Bible and in later ancient sources as having been used in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem.
A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. Candles have been used for over two millennia around the world, and were a significant form of indoor lighting until the invention of other types of light sources. Although electric light has largely made candle use nonessential for illumination, candles are still commonly used for functional, symbolic and aesthetic purposes and in specific cultural and religious settings.
An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. They work in the same way as a candle but with fuel that is liquid at room temperature, so that a container for the oil is required. A textile wick drops down into the oil, and is lit at the end, burning the oil as it is drawn up the wick.
A chandelier is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now incandescent light bulbs are commonly used, as well as fluorescent lamps and LEDs.
A candlestick is a device used to hold a candle in place. Candlesticks have a cup or a spike ("pricket") or both to keep the candle in place. Candlesticks are sometimes called "candleholders".
Candlepower is a unit of measurement for luminous intensity. It expresses levels of light intensity relative to the light emitted by a candle of specific size and constituents. The historical candlepower is equal to 0.981 candelas. In modern usage, candlepower is sometimes used as a synonym for candla.
A Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, is a nine-branched candelabrum lit during the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Eight of the nine branches hold lights that symbolize the eight nights of the holiday; on each night, one more light is lit than the previous night, until on the final night all eight branches are ignited. The ninth branch holds a candle, called the shamash, which is used to light the other eight.
A candlestick is a decorative holder for one or more candles.
A girandole is an ornamental branched candle holder consisting of several lights that may be on a stand or mounted on the wall, either by itself or attached to a mirror. Girandole has been used to refer to a number of different objects and designs; the early girandoles were candelabras decorated with crystals looking like a chandelier on a stand, and at one time it was also used to describe all candelabras and chandeliers, with or without crystals. Girandole first appeared in France in the mid-17th century as a luxurious appliance for lighting. In the 18-century, a girandole may be attached to a mirror, and large wall-mounted girandoles with a mirror incorporated became fashionable in England in the second half of the 18th century. A form of girandole backed with a round convex mirror was also popular in the United States in the early 19th century.
The kinara is a seven-branched candleholder used in Kwanzaa celebrations in the United States.
The ceremonial use of lights occurs in liturgies of various Christian Churches, as well as in Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Hindu rites and customs.
Altar candles are candles set on or near altars for religious ceremonies. Various religions have regulations or traditions regarding the number and type of candles used, and when they are lit or extinguished, for example during the liturgies.
Candle holder or candleholder may refer to:
Menorah may refer to:
A chandlery was originally the office in a wealthy medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. It could be headed by a chandler. The office was subordinated to the kitchen, and only existed as a separate office in larger households.
Jewish ceremonial art is objects used by Jews for ritual purposes. Because enhancing a mitzvah by performing it with an especially beautiful object is considered a praiseworthy way of honoring God's commandments, Judaism has a long tradition of commissioning ritual objects from craftsmen and artists.
Henry Northey Hooper was a 19th-century American manufacturer and merchant of decorative lighting, Civil War artillery, and bells and chimes. He was a Boston politician and foundry owner and in his firm he cast the first life-size bronze statue in the United States.
Triple candlestick may refer to:
References
↑ Shorter Oxford English dictionary, 6th ed. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2007. p.3804. ISBN978-0199206872.
↑ "candelabra". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
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