Tall and short taper candles stand in ornate bronze candlesticks, spread across the width of the canvas with no single focal point, so the eye travels along their uneven heights. Melted wax pools and drips down each candle onto a wooden tabletop, and nothing else shares the scene.

Candlelight is the only source of light, casting a soft golden halo behind the tallest flames before fading into shadow at the edges. Loose brushwork and soft impasto describe the wax drips and bronze highlights against smoother, blended strokes in the background, for a warm, contemplative classical still life.