Antique 19th Century Italian Giltwood Candlesticks, Signed A. PECCHIOLI Firenze

  

Pair of signed antique Italian giltwood candlesticks signed A. These seem to date to the late 19th century, likely the 1890s. Each measures 24cm (9.5") tall on a 12cm (4.75") diameter base.

They're a surprisingly lightweight wood, weighing 5.3oz & 5.7oz respectively. Very clearly hand turned and carved freehand. Likely woodturned from the same initial block as the bottom holes are mismatched, one recessed and one flat, matching either end of a treadle lathe.

A small hole was bored in the side of each base at some point prior to gilding though I'm unsure if this might have been useful in part of their creation, intended for a handle or wall mounting. Each stem does seem to have a gradual lean of about 0.5cm specifically away from side with the bored hole. In beautiful shape, especially for the material, function and age.

Both have some bits of old wax I didn't dare attempt to clean away for fear of damaging them. Gold leaf gilding appears mostly intact aside from some small spots where it looks to have burned or come away with candle wax.

The stem of one of the candlesticks looks like it may have cracked at the 1st joint of the base at some point and been repaired. The socket on the same candlestick looks like it suffered a bit of burn damage which slightly enlarged the top opening. Photos are of the actual item that you will receive.

Final image (not included in the sale) is a circa 1905 postcard image of the street where they originated found during my research. Borgo San Jacopo is a historic street in Firenze, Italy dating back to the 12th century. While it still exists today it was almost entirely destroyed by bombing during WWII and rebuilt.