George II Brass Baluster Candlestick – Sand-Cast, England c.1730

In 1730, George II was on the throne, Handel was composing, and somewhere in England a brass founder poured molten metal into a sand mould and produced this candlestick. It has been standing on tables and mantelpieces ever since, and it shows absolutely no signs of stopping.

This is a George II period brass baluster candlestick, sand-cast in two halves and joined — the standard production method for English brass candlesticks of the early 18th century, and the detail that separates genuine period pieces from later reproductions. Look at the base from below: the interior surface is covered in the characteristic concentric tool marks of a piece that was turned on a lathe after casting, and the rough, granular texture of the sand mould is still clearly visible. No reproduction has a base like this. This is the real thing.

The form

The baluster form is a masterclass in Georgian proportion: a wide, stable circular base with a raised outer rim, rising through a compressed ball knop to a slender waist, then swelling into the generous baluster body with its characteristic shoulder rings, narrowing again to the cylindrical socket with its broad drip pan. Every element is in the correct relationship to every other. This is what 300 years of English candlestick design looked like at its confident peak.

The patina

The brass has the warm, deep golden tone that only genuine age produces — not the harsh brightness of polished reproduction brass, but the mellow, slightly uneven glow of metal that has been handled, used, and lived with for nearly three centuries. There are small dents here and there — the honest marks of a working object. Inside the socket there is a greenish oxidation from old candle wax, original to the piece and entirely stable. The hollow interior — there is no ejector slide, as was standard for this period — shows the original sand-cast surface, untouched.

Height: 23.6 cm
Diameter: 11.3 cm
Weight: 462 grams
Material: Brass, sand-cast in two halves
Origin: England
Period: George II, circa 1730
Features: Baluster form, hollow interior, no ejector slide, sand-cast base with lathe-turned interior, original wax oxidation in socket
Condition: Very good — minor dents consistent with age and use, greenish wax oxidation in socket, no repairs or replacements

Place it on a mantelpiece, a dining table, or a writing desk. Light a candle in it. Watch nearly 300 years of English domestic history do exactly what it was made to do.

WARNING: This candlestick is 295 years old and has survived everything the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries could throw at it, including at least two major wars and however many house clearances. It is robust. It is brass. It is not, however, a doorstop, and Maison de L'oro recommends treating it with the respect due to a genuine George II antique. The small dents it already has were earned honestly over three centuries. It does not need any new ones.