A pricket candlestick is a candlestick that holds the candle on an upright spike, or pricket, rather than in a socket. The candle is pressed down onto the point, which keeps it steady, and a drip pan beneath the spike catches wax.
The pricket is the earliest form of candlestick in Europe and was widely used in the medieval period, before the socket became standard in domestic use. It remained in use in churches, where large pricket candlesticks in brass, bronze, iron, silver or carved and gilded wood stood on altars and around shrines, and was revived in the nineteenth century by Gothic Revival architects and church furnishers. Many surviving examples are Continental, particularly Italian, Flemish and Spanish, and range from small altar sticks to tall floor-standing torchères. Collectors look for good casting or carving, original gilding or patina, and evidence of age such as wear and old repairs, as reproductions are common. Wooden examples should be checked for worm and losses. Pricket candlesticks are popular in interiors today as sculptural objects, often with thick church candles, and pairs or sets add drama to a hall, dining room or chimneypiece.
