Candlestick c. 20th century

These gilded candlesticks are at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, but who made them and when is a mystery. Imagine them coming into being, shaped not with paint but with fire and metal. I can't help but think about the anonymous artisan who crafted these objects. Did they labor alone in a workshop or were they part of a larger team? What were they thinking as they meticulously carved each leaf and curve? Look at the texture, the way the gold catches the light. It's so beautiful, and so easy to overlook the labor involved. The gold leaf must have been laid down so carefully. There’s a real physicality there, a kind of conversation between the artist and the material. The way they taper and swell reminds me of Brancusi’s sculptures, or even some of Eva Hesse's more biomorphic forms. It's funny how these objects, made for such a specific purpose, can still speak to us across time. Artists are always having conversations with each other, borrowing and riffing on ideas, even across centuries. They are both familiar and strange, prompting us to think about beauty, craft, and the enduring power of art to connect us to the past.