Antique Wrought Iron Rushlight Holder Candle Socket Wood Base Richard Morgan

Details

Description

Up for sale is a bench-forged wrought iron combination rushlight holder and candle socket mounted on a heavy slab wood … Read more Up for sale is a bench-forged wrought iron combination rushlight holder and candle socket mounted on a heavy slab wood base. Constructed with traditional blacksmithing techniques, this piece features spring-tension pincers for holding tallow-soaked rushes alongside a hand-rolled conical socket designed to hold a standard candle. The vertical iron stem is hand-hammered and set securely into a modern natural wooden slice base. The underside of the wooden base bears the incised/hand-written mark "Richard Morgan Maker".

Design Significance & Provenance: A quintessential example of utilitarian 18th-century functional design, the combination rushlight and candle socket represents the ingeniousness of early domestic illumination. Crafted before the widespread adoption of kerosene, this hand-forged iron piece illustrates the transition from rush vegetation lighting to tallow candles.

Interior Designer Appeal: With its stark architectural silhouette, raw forged iron texture, and warm organic wood base, this piece bridges primitive Americana and contemporary minimalist wabi-sabi interiors. Ideal as an evocative mantle centerpiece, bookshelf accent, or rustic dining table focal point.

Curator’s Note: This hand-forged wrought iron rushlight holder brings undeniable historical texture and sculptural presence to modern or primitive spaces alike. Mounted on a slab wood base, its graphic silhouette and rustic patina make it a captivating decorative statement for curated interiors.

Item Specifics:
Origin: United States / Great Britain (Traditional Early American / British Isles Primitive Design).

Age: Iron Rushlight: 19th Century or Early 20th Century Bench-Forged Traditional Blacksmith Work; Wooden Base: 20th Century Custom Artisan Display Mount.

Material: Hand-forged Wrought Iron, Natural Wood.

Dimensions & Weight
Height: Approx. 10"
Base Diameter: Approx. 5.5"
Weight: 1 lb 1.3 oz

Reference
Book Title: Colonial and Early American Lighting
Author: Arthur H. Hayward
Page / Plate Reference: Chapter I ("Rushlight Holders"), Pages 1–12, Plate 1–3 (Illustrating classic early combination rushlight and candle socket holders).

Authenticity Assessment
An inspection of the ironwork reveals classic hand-hammered construction: the candle socket is made from a flattened iron sheet folded into a cone with an visible hand-joined seam, while the central pivot features a hand-pounded iron rivet flush with the pincer body. The pincer jaw exhibits proper offset bends. Surface corrosion and pitting are consistent with iron aged naturally or forged in a traditional charcoal hearth. The base is clearly a modern or mid-20th-century artisan display mount added by "Richard Morgan" to accommodate the pointed square tang of the original hand-forged stem. See less