Dipping, pouring or molding wax around a wick: for centuries a household necessity worked in tallow and beeswax, then a chandler's trade, and today a home craft of soy, paraffin and beeswax worked for scent and light rather than survival. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Earliest Evidence (Circa)The historian Sima Qian recorded that the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, first emperor of China, was furnished circa 210 BC with candles made from whale fat; Etruscan Italy is separately credited with wicked candles by around the seventh century BC, and it remains genuinely unclear which tradition, if either, came first. 1 OriginDipped tallow candles are attested from ancient Rome; whale-fat candles appear in Han dynasty China 1 FAQs
When did candle making become an established craft?
Early evidence goes back to the Bronze Age and the 7th century BC in Etruria; candle making became an organized guild craft by the 13th century, with a French guild recorded from 1061.
Objects that could be candlesticks have been found in Babylonian and Minoan sites and in the tomb of Tutankhamun, and the earliest excavated Etruscan candlestick dates from the 7th century BC, though candle making could not have developed before the early Bronze Age, since it needs a reliable supply of animal or vegetable fat. By the 13th century, candle making had become an organized guild craft in England and France, with a French candle makers guild documented as early as 1061.
Connections
Associated With
Soap Making, Crafts Both crafts historically drew on rendered animal fat (tallow) as a shared raw material, molded soap and molded candles alike.
Source Tallow (Wikipedia)
Open Questions
Source History of Candle Making (Wikipedia)
Tools Used
Source Candle Mold (The Huntington)
Source Wax melter (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. History of Candle Making (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundationen.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_candle_making
the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC), first emperor of China, was said by historian Sima Qian to contain candles made from whale fat
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle, History section
By the 13th century, candle making had become a guild craft in England and France, with a French guild documented as early as 1061.
View the Source Candle Mold (The Huntington)
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical GardensTools Used: Candle MoldView the Source Tallow (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Soap Making, Tallow, introduction and Candles sectionQuote, Associated With: Soap Making, Tallow, introduction and Candles section
Tallow is used mainly in producing soap and animal feed. Tallow was once widely used to make molded candles before more convenient wax varieties became available.
Wax melter (Wikipedia)
Tools Used: Wax Melter, Lead sectionQuote, Tools Used: Wax Melter, Lead section
Wax melters are devices used in the packaging and candle-making industries to melt wax.
Open Questions (1 open question)
Where and when were candles first made and used?
Objects that could be candlesticks have been found in Babylonian and Minoan sites and in the tomb of Tutankhamun, and the earliest excavated Etruscan candlestick dates from the 7th century BC, but candle making requires a reliable supply of animal or vegetable fat, so candles could not have developed before the early Bronze Age; it remains unclear exactly when and where true candles, as opposed to torches or oil lamps, were first used.
What would resolve this A securely dated wick-and-fuel object identifiable as a true candle from before the existing Bronze Age evidence, or a textual source naming the place and period of the first candles.
Archaeology, history of technologyHistory of Candle Making (Wikipedia)
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