_The Design._--This problem introduces several points in design that
need to be especially emphasized. The candlestick should be of such
size that it will easily support the average candle without putting the
user to great inconvenience in fitting it by paring it off or melting
it down. It is necessary to provide a lip to catch the stray drops
of wax that will run down the sides of the candle; and it will be a
convenience to have this supplemented by a slight dishing of the base
if the candlestick is to be carried about. If a handle is to be added
it should seem to be a natural outgrowth of the candlestick itself, as
was explained in the discussion of handles for vases; and it should,
at the same time, offer a place for a firm and comfortable grasp. The
accompanying drawing shows how handles may be designed really to form a
part of the candlestick and at the same time, by means of a sharp bend
or elbow at the top, to provide a natural place for the thumb to assist
in grasping the handle.
Whether the candlestick is to be high or low depends entirely upon
the use intended for it or upon the preference of the user. Generally
speaking, a low candlestick is better for carrying about and a high
one more desirable for standing in a cabinet or on shelf or table. It
is well for some definite idea of utility to manifest itself in the
form chosen. Merely planning a tube and a handle upon a base, without
carefully relating these three different elements according to the
requirements of use, can hardly be called designing a candlestick.
[Illustration: Suggestive designs for candlesticks]
The building of the candlestick is started, like the bowl in the
first problem, by coiling from the centre, and the rim may be added
in the same way. Care should be taken, however, to attach the central
tube firmly. This may be coiled or simply modelled from a single lump
of clay. If there is to be a handle it is well to build it at the
time the central tube is built, as it is then easier to make a firm
attachment.