Design for the Base of a Candelabrum 17th century

This design for the base of a candelabrum, rendered in pen and brown ink, presents a fascinating interplay of religious and allegorical imagery. Justice, with her scales, and an angel blowing a trumpet flank a central portrait. The portrait, reminiscent of a saint or cleric, echoes the tradition of religious iconography aimed to inspire faith and devotion. The scales of Justice, a symbol extending back to ancient Egypt, represents moral balance, here intertwined with the promise of divine judgment. The trumpet-blowing angel, ubiquitous in Christian art, evokes the heralding of momentous events, a call to spiritual awakening. Yet, consider the shell motif recurring throughout. From ancient times, the shell symbolized pilgrimage and transformation, a journey both physical and spiritual. Its presence here reminds us that symbols are never static; they evolve, accumulating layers of meaning, echoing through the corridors of time.