Candlestick 1760 - 1770

This candlestick was created by the Doccia Porcelain Manufactory in Italy. It's made of porcelain, a strong, translucent ceramic material that becomes possible at high firing temperatures. The figure, with its careful modelling and painted details, reflects the skilled labor involved in its creation. Porcelain production required careful management of raw materials, precise firing, and skilled artisans to shape and decorate each piece. The figure's clothing, hair, and beard show the hand of a skilled modeler, while the rippling base suggests the plasticity of the clay before it was fired. Doccia and other factories like it took advantage of period tastes for the exotic, as European empires expanded around the globe. This candlestick is a reminder that the objects we live with are often the result of many hands, and deeply connected to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption.