Unknown
(French, Limoges)
Candlestick Base
13th century
gilded copper alloy
4 x 6.5 in
10.16 x 16.51 cm
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
68.62
Four dragons join tails to form the base of this Limoges candlestick. According to descriptions in medieval bestiaries, the strength of the dragon—a representation of the devil—resided in the tail, its primary means of attack. Here, the beasts appear as a potential reminder of the devil’s physical strength and ability to raise himself out of the darkness to imitate the angels, symbolized by the burning candle.
JS