Venetian: a rare and original gondolier's candlestick hand-forged in iron.  This Blacksmith (known as the Devil's Trade in Venice) handmade piece has three sconces or candleholders, a spike and hanging spur - allowing it to be hung from a beam, placed on a table, or stuck into the ground.  The surface has a good patina, and beautiful marking from the hammered production of the sconces, stand, shaft and single central iron rivet which secures the three components together.  The design dates from the 17th century, and was acquired about 20 years ago from a collection in Venice.  This piece is thought to date from the early to mid-19th century.

Want more?  Well, many Venetian blacksmithing families originally come from Premana, a village in the mountains of Valsassina (Lombardy), which for centuries has been at the border with the Venetian Republic. The area is rich in iron mines. At the end of the 1500s many families moved from Premana to Venice and started working as metal workers inside the Arsenale and smaller local blacksmith workshops.

In Venice a Blacksmiths’ Guild existed already in the 1000s. In the ‘Mariegola’ (the Statute of the Association) a list of crafts detailed the blacksmith’s art, among which the knife-grinders (coltelèri), the cauldron-makers (calderèri), the swordmakers (spadèri), the scrap dealers (strassa fèri). The Guild’s headquarters was inside the Frari church and later on moved next to the St. Moisè church.

Visit www.ebay/str/southwoldart for more of my stock.

I offer old Southwold, wider East Anglian art, quirky antiques, and more general pieces.  The artworks are mainly old plus a few newer local pictures, and associated subjects; both celebrated and lesser artists. The antiques lean towards quirky, folk-art, and "below stairs" country house or cottage pieces – and simply unusual pieces that catch my eye.  They include furniture, metalwork, treen etc. Many sea-related items will deliver a 10% donation to the RNLI. 

All dimensions stated are in inches, and the prices include packing and shipping within the UK mainland.  I can ship overseas - just let me know where you are and I'll get a quote.

N.B. I pack and ship pictures using professional custom-made wooden (not card-board) boxes - these take me a little time to prepare dependent on demand, but I'll do my utmost to meet your delivery requirements.