Arts And Crafts Candlestick, Signed Carl Deffner In Copper And Brass, Esslingen, Circa 1905.

Arts and Crafts candlestick, signed Carl Deffner in copper and brass, hallmarked on the globe.

Carl Deffner, Esslingen, Germany. Circa 1905 (piano or mantel candlestick).

Arts & Crafts candlestick in patinated brass, by Carl Deffner, active in Esslingen am Neckar at the beginning of the 20th century. The sinuous and asymmetrical form, combining a tubular arm with a spherical counterweight, reflects a search for balance between function and sculptural expression. The visible handwork and organic inspiration are characteristic of the Arts & Crafts aesthetic. Carl Deffner's work is part of the English movement tradition and reveals the influence of W.A.S. Benson, particularly in the use of hammered metal, fluid lines, and decorative restraint, reinterpreted in a more refined formal language typical of southern Germany.