An English silver taper stand with wax taper

The taper stand is found in two forms. One type has the reel of turpentine-waxed taper coiled round a horizontal or vertical pillar; the other is a variation, in which the taper is coiled inside a cylinder. The wax taper, treated with turpentine, burned clearly and did not crack or scale when bent. The winch form is first found circa 1680, it is not, however, until about 1775 that such pieces become common. For comparative literature see M. Clayton, The Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America, London, New York, Sydney, Toronto, 1971, pp. 403

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