A silver taperstick is essentially a candlestick (or later a chamberstick) on a much smaller scale. The earliest silver tapersticks date from the late seventeenth century and they tend to follow the patterns of contemporary candlesticks.
Unlike candlesticks which were always made in pairs or sets of four and more the taperstick was often made as a single (as well as in pairs). The taperstick essentially served two purposes. The most common use was for it to be on a desk and would have held a small taper candle and have been used for sealing a letter. Certainly, in the earlier part of the eighteenth century they had a dual purpose and are often referred to as tobacco candlesticks and were placed on a table to light a clay pipe.
By the later eighteenth century and early nineteenth century tapersticks were often made in the form of mini chambersticks. These tapersticks and mini chambersticks were often incorporated into inkstands of the period. The heights are normally in the 10 cm (4 inches) to 13 cm (5.1 inches) range but can be over 20 cm by the middle to third quarter of the eighteenth century.
We have an unusually large and rare pair of 21 cm by the silversmith Ebenezer Coker 1771 at this present time. I am often asked what distinguishes a taperstick from just a small candlestick. The answer is that the stems are always much slimmer and the openings for the candles very small.
At William Walter Antiques we have a fine collection of tapersticks from the earliest times to twentieth century reproductions of earlier periods.
