The discovery of a pair of early Ming dynasty blue-and-white candlesticks of the Yongle period inspired by Islamic metal prototypes

Until five years ago, there were less than a dozen recorded examples of Yongle (1403–1424) and Xuande (1426–1435) faceted candlesticks in public and private collections. The odds that a pair would exist on a western United States dining room table intact after 600 years is little to none, yet just a pair was discovered in 2020. Each was in exceptional condition, except for traces of red candle wax from use, with only minor chips to one and surface scratches to both (Fig. 1). This article traces the exciting discovery of this pair of previously unrecorded early 15th century Chinese blue-and-white candlesticks in a western United States collection to its ultimate sale at auction in 2022. It documents the discovery of the pair, the authentication process, the provenance research, and the placement of the pair in the context of other examples residing in public collections. It addresses the origin of this candlestick form in Mamluk and Islamic examples, and the appearance of this form along with other Islamic prototypes adopted by the Ming court in the Yongle and Xuande periods. It concludes that this pair of candlesticks can join its place among the celebrated documented examples produced in the Yongle period.