GERRITSZ., Joost
(1598-1652)

Candelabrum

c. 1640
Copper, height 350 cm
Near the Yomeimon Arch, Nikko, Japan

This 350-cm-tall copper candelabrum was made in 1640 by Joost Gerritsz, a Dutch brass founder, and donated that same year by the Dutch East India Company to Japan's shogun as part of a successful campaign to carry favour with the Japanese ruler: from 1641 until early in the 19th century, the Dutch enjoyed a European monopoly of trade with Japan. The candelabrum is now permanently on display in a complex of tombs and temples at Nikko in Japan.