17th C. Burled Wood Splint Holder Presented here, a Wooden Tabletop Splint Holder made of a burled wood believed to be walnut. This type of lighting device predates candles and was used over the centuries from the first century AD. Throughout the middle ages, rushlights provided the larger proportion of domestic lighting and continued into the 18th and 19th century as they were exempt from the lucritive candle tax that was imposed by Queen Anne in Britian in 1709. This lighting device predates the spring-jaw type that evolved in the 18th century, but from the turnings on the base, we can comfortably place it firmly in that century, perhaps a bit earlier. By virtue of the destructibility of the material they are made of, these wooden based lighting devices tend to be quite rare in their original state. Because this base is made of a burled wood, it has survived intact through the centuries and comes to us with a provenance of the Glenn and Wilma Tripp Estate Trust which was disbursed at auction in 2001 and still contains their inventory number on the bottom. The strength of this piece is in the beauty of the burled wood and the turnings on the base and shoulder that have pretty much worn down over the centuries but are still in evidence. The warm patina literally glows. The base is a bit over 8" tall and with the iron holder the piece measures 9-1/2" tall. The base is 3-1/2" in diameter. This, a wonderful and rare piece for the collector of early lighting as well as burl or just for someone who appreciates the beauty and simplicity of a rare item that is a "survivor". F06K26005 0521 Questions? Ask the Ferret!
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