Kandelaar, opgebouwd uit ranken 1904

This silver candlestick, made by Koninklijke Utrechtsche Fabriek van Zilverwerken van C.J. Begeer, kind of dances, doesn't it? It's all curves and flourishes, like a fancy signature in three dimensions. I can imagine the maker really relishing the feel of the silver as they shaped it, bending and coaxing it into these elegant forms. The tendrils reaching up, the little blossoms cradling the candle. It's got this Art Nouveau vibe, all about nature but also about this dreamy, stylized version of nature. The surface catches the light in a million different ways. It reminds me of some of Eva Hesse's sculptures, the way she used repetition and organic forms to create these really sensual, almost otherworldly objects. This candlestick, it's not just functional, it's trying to be beautiful, trying to lift you out of the everyday. And that's what art is all about, right?