LIGHT AND VIRTUE: THE GLOUCESTER CANDLESTICK Stephanie Seavers and Catia Viegas Wesolowska The Gloucester Candlestick (fig. 1), in the Victoria and Albert Museum, is a significant and rare survival of Romanesque metalwork. Its exquisite and complex decoration demonstrates the expert artistry of twelfth- century craftsmen. Entwined hybrids and beasts clamber endlessly across its form, struggling towards the light of the candle or tumbling into the shadow below. The secure dating and intriguing provenance of the candlestick further elevates the historical significance of the piece. An inscription upon the stem reveals that Abbot Peter gave the candlestick to the Church of St Peter in Gloucester (now Gloucester Cathedral), 1 dating it between 1104 and 1113, the years of his rule as abbot. Another inscription, believed to be medieval and situated on the inside rim of the drip pan notes that Thomas Pociensis (an unidentified figure) gave the candlestick to Le Mans Cathedral, where it remained until the eighteenth century. 2 The craftsmanship and provenance of the candlestick has placed it at the centre of studies of medieval art and culture. Yet its symbolic role in expressing the beliefs and ideals of the medieval church and its community has been somewhat overlooked. Recent research undertaken at the Victoria and Albert Museum has sought to consider this symbolism. Art historical investigation reveals that the Gloucester Candlestick was valued not only as a bearer of light, but also as a symbol of light, which reflected the varied meanings of light and shadow inherent in medieval culture. Conservational analysis meanwhile provides evidence that the strength of this symbolism pervaded the very design and construction of the object. 1 ABBATIS PETRI GREGIS ET DEVOTIO MITIS ME DEDIT ECCLESIE SCI PETRI GLOECESTRE (Abbot Peter’s Flock and [his] humble devotion gave me to St Peter’s Church in Gloucester). 2 HOC CENOMANNENSIS RES ECCLESIE POCIENSIS/THOMAS DITAVIT CVM SOL ANNVM RENOVAVIT (Thomas of Poché gave this to the Church of Le Mans, when the sun renewed the year).