“Cellar Rat” Candle Holder

Mechanical candle holder with gilded brass handle The button system allows the candle to be raised as it burns Very good condition 💡 a bit of history Also called a Cellar Rat, it seems that the object was developed and used by the monks of the Abbey of Cluny. There is also a very old example visible at the Orchier Museum in Cluny. This very particular candle holder is composed of an iron shaft in the shape of a twisted coil, fixed on a very stable base. It can be an iron tray supported by 3 feet, therefore a tripod or a turned wooden support, which has the shape of a reworked half ball. A movable screw, called an "elevator", housed in the shaft allowed the candle to be raised as it melted. The grip, called a "rat tail" because of its particular shape, offers an easy grip away from the heat source. This handle, which has the shape of a hook, also allowed the winemaker to stick this candlestick in a cavity in the cellar wall or on a wall. The candlestick was held by a ring or a tab, but also hung from a beam in the cellar or on the edge of a barrel. Its flat bottom or its tripod base, both known for being very stable, allowed it to be placed without fear of it tipping over. This candlestick therefore had the primary function of illuminating the winemaker in his cellar, but also more broadly anyone who went into a dark place.