[kan-dl-ah-bruh
m, -dl-ey-] 
[-bruh] , -brums. | an ornamental branched holder for more than one candle. |
can·de·la·brum (kān'dl-ä'brəm, -āb'rəm, -ā'brəm)  (click for larger image in new window) n. pl. can·de·la·bra (-brə) or can·de·la·brums A large decorative candlestick having several arms or branches. [Latin candēlābrum, candlestick, from candēla, candle; see candle.] |
candelabrum
in architecture, a decorative motif derived from the pedestal or shaft used to support a lamp or candle. The Romans, developing Hellenistic precedents, made candelabra of great decorative richness. Two Roman types are found. The simpler consists of a slender shaft, often fluted, supported on a spreading base of animals' feet and acanthus scrolls and carrying a flat shelf with vaselike moldings. The multitude of such candelabra found in Pompeii proves them to have been a common form of household decoration. The more monumental type, made of marble or bronze and used in public buildings, had for the base a pedestal resembling a little altar, which carried a heavy shaft frequently decorated with row on row of acanthus leaves. The lavishness of such examples was imitated in works by Renaissance artists.
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