Mostly unrelated: in the illustration there are some iron railings and presumably an arch over where the man is walking. Attached to this arch are these horn-shaped ornaments. They are reasonably common on older houses. What are they for?
Keep reading the article - it's explained later as a way to extinguish the torches when no longer needed.
Ugh, It’s not even hidden in there. Perhaps I experienced some banner blindness and skimmed straight over the pull quote (or online tweet). Though mostly I’ve had this question for a long time and didn’t expect this article to contain the answer.