Tricerium trunk. Tree of Knowledge. Spain, 17th century.

Tricerium trunk. Tree of Knowledge. Spain, XVII century.
Wood carved in round bulk.
It has an export permit.
It presents good state of preservation, with small flaws and faults typical of its age.
The tricerium does not keep the candle holders or the original base.
Measurements: 182 cm (height).

Singular trunk of Spanish liturgical tricerio carved in wood in round bulk, datable to the XVII century. The piece corresponds to the main body of an old ceremonial candlestick of three lights, used in the Easter liturgy. Although it does not retain the three upper candle holders or the original base, it maintains the essential structure of the shaft, conceived as a symbolic tree around which a serpent coils.

The iconography refers to the tree of Knowledge or tree of the Science of Good and Evil, associated with the episode of Original Sin. The serpent spirals up the trunk until it culminates in a head with anthropomorphic features, a youthful face, curly hair and marked expressiveness. This motif alludes to temptation and evil overcome by the light of Christ.

The triceria was linked to the Easter Vigil, a ceremony in which, after the blessing of the new fire, three candles were lit progressively before the paschal candle. The three lights evoked the mystery of the Trinity and symbolized the victory of the risen Christ over darkness, sin and death. In this context, the presence of the tree and the serpent reinforces the symbolic reading of the object as an image of the transition between the fall and redemption.

The work stands out for its typological rarity, as there are few preserved examples of tricerios or their original elements. It constitutes an exceptional testimony of the ceremonial objects used in the Catholic liturgy of the Modern Age, as well as a piece of great interest for collections of sacred art and historical liturgical furnishings.