Angel Candle Bearer

The creative model for the carved wood angel holding candles probably was not the carved floating angel that was also part of the Christmas lighting for homes in the Erzgebirge but rather the wooden “Docke” from doll making or even the Nuremberg tinsel angel.

The basic form of the angel candle bearer reflects fashionable influences in women’s clothing during the Biedermeier era. What are particularly characteristic are the narrow waist with accentuation of the chest, the long white dress decorated with floral ornaments typical of that time or the decorative aprons in bright red or green. Nuremberg’s tinsel angel’s notched crown is turned into headgear adapted to the miner’s pit hat for the angel candle bearer. The wings are usually painted red, green or blue with dotted and line ornaments or decorated with gold leaf. The painting is always characteristic of the craftsman. A classic angel candle bearer holds a candle sleeve in both hands, special shapes may also carry a candle arch or hanging pyramid.