Candle Stick

Chotdae, also called chokdae or chokga, is a candlestick that holds a candle to provide light. It was mainly made of wood or metal including brass and iron. A candlestick consisted of a sconce for holding the candle, a base serving as the center of gravity, and a pillar connecting the two. The base, which is generally in a shape such as a circle, a square, an octagon, or a dome, is connected to the pillar made in the shape of bamboo joints, threaded beads, or a double-headed traditional drum. On the pillar is a sconce with a short tip used to hold the candle. This basic structure sometimes contained hwaseon in the shape of a circle, a bat, a butterfly or a plantain leaf. Hwaseon is a rotating plate designed to control the direction of candlelight and to reflect and focus candlelight onto a specific spot. This structure can be seen in metal candlesticks. As candles were valuable, they were used in various rituals and presented as an offering. The tradition of placing a pair of candlesticks on the table for ancestral memorial rites or wedding ceremonies continues to this day. The candlestick shown here consists of a sconce, a pillar, and a base as one piece. The sconce has a saucer for wax drippings and a dish-shaped decoration attached below it. The two candlesticks resemble each other closely in shape and size, but one is made of zelkova wood and the other is made of ginkgo wood. Judging from the joining method, the ginkgo candlestick was presumably modeled on the one made of zelkova wood.