A Pair of Massive German Silver Candlesticks

The stems of these candlesticks are in the form of "Solomonic columns." Such twisted-shaft columns are based on a set of marble columns brought to Rome in the 4th century AD by Emperor Constantine. By tradition, they came from the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem (though modern research has identified the marble as Greek). However, based on this supposed source of the Constantine columns, twisted columns became common in depictions of The Temple in Jerusalem, and were used particularly in 17th century architecture as a visual reference to the First Temple.