Heraldic Pricket

This candlestick is distinguished by its pricket, or spike, that was used to hold a candle in place. The pricket is supported by a hexagonal base decorated with alternating coats-of-arms and fantastical beasts. Though the use of champlevé enamel in blue, green and red suggests that it was perhaps made in Limoges, France, there are other indications that reveal Spanish origins. Most prominently, the frontal coat-of-arms divided into four quadrants is that of Castilla y León, indicating this object had some connection to Spanish royalty.