Print
Candlestand in a Bottle
Date Added: 03 October 2015
"I love to-scale carved miniatures, especially chairs. While looking in a dollhouse shop, I found this vintage copy of an 18th-early 19th C. style adjustable candlestand made out of cherry and maple made by famed dollhouse maker, Warren Dick. I bought it thinking disassembly and reassembly inside a bottle would be easy. I chose a hand blown square medicine bottle from 1885-1895 due to visibility and neck size, though slightly too short, so I had to cut the top of the candlestand shaft down slightly and round it back over and stain it back to match. The neck opening was an exact fit for the leg pieces which were full half lap-jointed. I put my name on the left as "Chris Wood builder" and put "maker" underneath the candlestand maker's name on the right. I forgot to date it, but it was made June 16, 2014. The original did not have any candle tips, so I created flames from pieces of dental tape, cut and chalked yellow and orange. However, putting it inside proved more of a challenge than I had anticipated, as getting the horizontal piece in over the main shaft was difficult. If you picture that piece without the candlesticks and imagine pulling it up and off, you will see it would hit the glass and not be possible to fully remove. Then, I installed the locking key to hold the arm in place and though the fit was tight, then added some glue. I glued the base in place where it stood the most straight. I then chose a vintage chess pawn that had a cherry finish for the top, drilled a hole in it, cut and glued a shaft in, and made the crossbar and hole for it. I made the crossbar out of cherry to contrast the stopper colors with those of the candlestand. Overall, I was very pleased. I only wish Warren Dick was still alive so I could show it to him and hear his thoughts." Chris Wood
Type: Candlestand in a Bottle   Maker's Name: Wood, Chris
Category: Furniture   Made Where: Scottsville, KY
Bottle Size: 7 1/4" x 1 7/8"   Year Made: 2014, June 16
Bottle Type: Hand Blown Medicine Bottle