Stock No. 2646	18th century silver wax-jack
	Very decorative sterling silver 18th century wax-jack, or taper stand. Circa 1769 by John Carter II. The taper stand consists of a very attractive six-sided, pierced base with a gadroon border, standing on three paw feet. To one side of the base is a small curved handle with a flying acanthus leaf thumb grip. At a later date, the word "Teo" has been engraved in facsimile on the outside curve of the handle. A silver vertical pillar rises from the centre of the base and ends in a detachable flame finial. A reel of turpentine-waxed taper is coiled around the pillar. The upper, burning, end of the taper is held by a pair of spring, scissor-like grips which form a circular pan around the burning taper.
	Maker :- John Carter II

Condition :-Very good with a clear maker's mark and lion passant on the grips. There is also a clear maker's mark on the reverse of the base but the remainder of the hallmarks appear to have been lost in the piercing.
Circa :- 1769
Size :- 6 inches (15.2 cm) high x 4.2 inches (10.67 cm) wide overall
Weight :- 5.2 ozt (162.2g)
The wax taper, treated with turpentine, burnt clearly and did not crack or scale when it was bent. Therefore, wax-jacks were not only used to melt ceiling wax for postage, etc. but were also used to move around a house after dark. In the first half of the 18th century, taper sticks were favoured as a means of mobile light and wax-jacks did not become common until about 1775. Their increased popularity was due to the fact that they were more stable than taper sticks, blew out less easily and gave a better light. John Carter II appears to have specialised almost exclusively on candlesticks, taper sticks and taper stands, as well as on salvers.

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