File:Medieval zoomorphic candle-holder drawing (FindID 114863).jpg

English: A beautiful example of a late medieval cast copper-alloy zoomorphic candle holder. It is in the form of a standing dog with its front legs cast together and its rear legs separated to form a stable base. The dog's muzzle is elongated and angular in style with small ears. The tail is raised, giving a cheerful, wagging appearance. The attention to anatomical detail is impressive with the dog's front quarters barrelled, its midriff waisted and its rear quite rounded. The body of the dog is perforated from its back to its belly and wedged within the hole is a conical socket for the candle. The socket is held in place by a lug which extends beyond perforation in the dog's belly. The conical socket is formed from a folded strip of copper-alloy. The candle holder measures 52.5 mm long from the muzzle of the dog to the tip of the tail. It is 12.3 mm wide. The candle socket is 45.1 mm long with an opening diameter of 16 mm. The holder would have originally have stood on a base and traces of a possible solder remain on the underside of the dog's flat paws.

A very similar example illustrated in Bailey (1997, 46-47; 1-7) is shown with a circular base and it is extremely likely that this example was originally mounted on a similar stand. However, the above example has lugs for attachment which fit through holes in the base rather than the use of solder as seems likely with this example.

Candle holders in the shape of animals seem to come in a range of other forms. One in the form of a stag was found in a context of c. 1270-c. 1350 in London, and is illustrated by Egan together with another found at Aldgate (Egan 1998, 147-8, no. 426, fig. 116). Ward-Perkins (1940 Plate XXXIX) illustrates another example which he dates to the 14th century.

Also compare the very similar animals at HAMP2802, GLO-073671, LVPL-05B5E4, YORYM-395444, BERK-3F1C48, NMGW-E6C122 and NMS-6F7566 .