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Lighting history

Why a chamberstick has a handle

A chamberstick was made to carry a candle to bed. Bergdala’s 1980s Ice chambersticks keep its handle, in solid glass.

Bergdala Ice chambersticks, a pair, 1980s. Beeswax candles included.

Bergdala Ice chambersticks, a pair, 1980s. Beeswax candles included.

What a chamberstick is for.

A chamberstick is a small candleholder made to be carried, lighting the way from one room to the next. Its handle gave you a safe place to hold it. Bergdala keeps that handle, even though this pair is more likely to sit together on a table than travel up the stairs.

Bergdala made the Ice chambersticks in the 1980s, in solid glass. They look nothing like a brass chamberstick, but they keep its handle.

Detail of Bergdala Ice chambersticks, a pair

The ring handle that makes a chamberstick a chamberstick.

Size and candles.

Each holder is 3⅞in long, 1in wide and 1⅞in high, and takes a ½in candle. That’s narrower than a standard taper, so the pair comes with beeswax candles that fit.

The close-up shows the ring handle; the full photo shows how small the base is next to the candle cup.

Dimensions and what’s included. In excellent condition, with no chips, cracks or breaks. Each holder weighs 4½oz.

Looking for something similar.

Electric light made the chamberstick unnecessary. Bergdala kept the form anyway and turned it into a small glass candleholder for the table.

If you’re looking for something similar, decide whether the shape or the material matters more. You might want a handled chamberstick in glass, a particular scale, or another kind of portable candle light entirely. Any of those gives us a clear place to start.

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Drawn from our own research into the piece.

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