15th-century Florentine bronze candlestick from the Baptistery. In the Christian liturgy candlesticks represent light brightening the darkness, a symbol of salvation and purification. This example comes from the Baptistery, where the Florentines became part of the Christian community through the ritual of baptism, the first step on the path to the light of eternal salvation, and was made by Florentine craftsmen at some time during the 15th century. It is elegantly crafted and enriched with moldings. The stem was decorated in a pattern inspired by the architectural forms of the lantern of Brunelleschi’s dome, while the sconce is vase-shaped, as is the base.