17th century Italian gold leaf and painted candlestick with agate coral and baroque pearls.
The altar stick originally came from a church in Florence. Each three sides of the base has an individual carved image which is very rare for a church altar stick. One side has "IHS" which is the Christogram or monogram symbolizing Jesus Christ. Another side has the sacred heart carving, and the last side has three arrows intersecting one another. The sacred heart historically symbolizes Jesus's physical heart and represents divine love and passion he has towards humanity. The feet of the base have been hand-carved and restored by Italian craftsman.
Polished agate coral is mounted on top of the candlestick and it is adorned with baroque pearls. Agate coral is also Florida's state stone and is known for its unique formation that can take place over 20 million years. It's a natural gemstone that is created when coral is gradually replaced with agate. The agate in this particular coral has naturally forming crystalized druzy which creates a lovely sparkle to the mineral.
The altar stick is transformed with the elements and creates a historically significant yet contemporary works of old and new.
Size: 29" high x 5.5" wide x 5.5" deep
