The low cylindrical candleholder is decorated with small white feathers, naturalistically modelled in relief, which are wrapped around it starting from the base, standing out against the satin gold background. Two candlesticks of this type are illustrated in Domus, flanking a sculpture depicting a rooster (in the Museo Ginori collection, inventory nos. 3560, 3561, 3363), whose dense plumage was the source of inspiration for the decoration. The three pieces were therefore intended to be displayed together, as a centrepiece or furnishings for consoles.
Presented at the 1937 Paris decorative arts exhibition, this candlestick is among the first documented examples of Gariboldi’s collaboration with the Richard-Ginori factory in Doccia. Previously, the designer’s name had appeared only in connection with earthenware or stoneware (produced at the S. Cristoforo factory), but even in these early works Gariboldi demonstrates a remarkable sensitivity to the peculiarities of porcelain, which is evident in the lifelike rendering of the movement of the slightly ruffled feathers, and enhances the fineness and brightness of the material.
