Snake Candleholder, one of a pair

Date1987, June

Artist/Maker Charles Lisk b. 1952

MediumBrown salt-glazed stoneware

DimensionsH: 8 1/2"

Credit LineGift of Edward A. Chappell

Object number1991.900.4,1

DescriptionThe base of each candleholder is a cone shape with a cup and socket at the top. An applied snake twines round each and has incised nostrils and mouth with applied white eyes.Label TextThese candleholders and jug 1991.900.3 are the perfect blend of utility and sculpture. All three serve a purpose and make an obvious decorative statement. Snakes have long been associated with folk traditions. Some scholars have suggested that they represent temptations, while others have hypothesized that Lisk's objects are more comical than moralistic. His snakes' eyes bug out from their heads; they smile at us.

The overall shapes of these candleholders recall the streamlined designs of the Arts and Crafts Movement, but the comical snakes twined round their bases stem from a long-standing tradition of vernacular pottery.Mark(s)Stamped into the lower edge of each candleholder is "CL"ProvenanceIn an interview with Ed Chappell June 27, 1991, he stated that he acquired 91.900.4 and 91.900.3 directly from Lisk, the potter, in June 1987 and that both objects had come from the "same kiln burn."