Design for a Candlestick 18th century

This is a design for a candlestick, made anonymously with pen and ink on paper. The drawing's focus is a high-style object meant to be fabricated from precious metal, likely silver. Look at the elaborate curves and embellishments. These indicate it would have been time-consuming to produce, requiring a highly skilled silversmith working with specialized tools. The original would have been made by hand, each element carefully shaped and soldered together. This drawing gives us insight into the hierarchies of the workshop. The designer likely wasn't the silversmith who actually created the object. This division of labor reflected a growing sophistication in the luxury trades, and it anticipates the division of labor and even alienation of labor that became associated with the industrial revolution. Ultimately, this drawing gives us a window onto the complexities of production and consumption, reminding us that even the most beautiful objects are the result of labor, skill, and social context.