The Home Beautiful: King William III's Rock Crystal Chandelier, c. 1690

Rock Crystal Chandelier
Hampton Court Palace
c. 1690
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click on image for larger size.

King William III (most probably) acquired this chandelier during the renovation and redecoration of Hampton Court Palace in the 1690s.  The monumental fixture is built on a frame of silver which is entirely concealed by strings of rock crystal beads (affixed by lead), massive pendants and carved marigolds.  Pearls are interspersed amongst the crystals.  Surmounted by an enormous rock crystal crown, the twelve-candle chandelier is decidedly impressive.

Originally, it's thought, the chandelier was hung in the dining room of Hampton Court Palace.  According to the Royal Collection Trust, "It may possibly be that seen and recorded by Celia Fiennes on her visit to the palace in 1697, as a, 'Chrystal Branch for candles', hanging in the dining room."

Figure of the Day: The Wild Man Chandelier Brass, 15th C.

Chandelier Brass
Germany
Fifteenth Century
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in Germany in the Fifteenth Century, this brass figure once adorned a chandelier—likely in a church or cathedral. Chandeliers in religious buildings afforded an opportunity for craftsmen to display their wares, and, therefore, they tended to be highly elaborate and decorative.

It’s difficult to specifically place the exact spot in Germany where this brass was made, but it’s a safe bet that it was in Nuremburg which was a center of brass manufacture prior to the Seventeenth Century.

The brass wild man once held a club and a shield, but these were lost—presumably around the same time he was stripped from the chandelier.             

Brilliant Interiors: The Wroxton Abeey Ormolu and Cut Glass Chandelier, 1815

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made to send the light of candles into glittering cascades, this chandelier dates to 1815 and was made of cut glass mounted in an ormolu framework for Wroxton Abbey, Oxfordshire.

Donated to the V&A in 2003, the piece shows just how important lighting was in Regency interiors, serving to enhance the effect of the characteristic rich colors and gilding. The amount of reflective cut glass and crystal used in chandeliers was enhanced by creating tent-like shapes composed of small pieces of cut glass suspended on wires.

The Home Beautiful: King William III's Rock Crystal Chandelier, c. 1690

Rock Crystal Chandelier
Hampton Court Palace
c. 1690
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click on image for larger size.

King William III (most probably) acquired this chandelier during the renovation and redecoration of Hampton Court Palace in the 1690s.  The monumental fixture is built on a frame of silver which is entirely concealed by strings of rock crystal beads (affixed by lead), massive pendants and carved marigolds.  Pearls are interspersed amongst the crystals.  Surmounted by an enormous rock crystal crown, the twelve-candle chandelier is decidedly impressive.

Originally, it's thought, the chandelier was hung in the dining room of Hampton Court Palace.  According to the Royal Collection Trust, "It may possibly be that seen and recorded by Celia Fiennes on her visit to the palace in 1697, as a, 'Chrystal Branch for candles', hanging in the dining room."

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Thomastown Chapel Chandelier

Chandelier
1760-1765
Ireland
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in England between 1760 and 1765, this chandelier of blown glass over a metal frame was presented to the Thomastown Chapel, County Kilkenny, Ireland, by Sir John Power, slightly after it was created.

After the switch to electricity, the chandelier was not electrified as many were. Instead, it was removed and replaced with a more modern fixture in the Nineteenth Century. The glittering masterpiece was purchased by one Major W.H. Mulville, who presented it to the V&A in 1931. Consequently, the chandelier remains as it was in 1760—outfitted for candles and totally unaltered.

The Home Beautiful: A German Wrought Iron Chandelier, 1450-1500

Chandelier
Wrought Iron, 1450-1500
Germany
This and all related images:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here we see a chandelier of painted and gilt wrought iron designed in a triangular form, and surmounted by a large suspension ring. The entire fixture is adorned with cusped arches, pinnacles and Gothic foliage with branches and pans for 6 candles. Each cup features borders of openwork running foliage while the central socket of the chandelier shows a fitting for either thinner candle or the figure of a saint.


This is a chandelier in its purest form since, after all, a “chandelier” is literally a “candleholder,” with its name deriving from the French word for candle, “chandelle.” Hanging chandeliers have always been important functional and decorative interior details.

The earliest chandeliers evolved from “candle-beams” which were essentially two pieces of wood which were nailed together in the form of a cross with spike at each end. Candles of animal fat (or tallow) were fixed on the spikes. By the Fifteenth Century—when this example was made, chandeliers had evolved into the ring or crown designs with which we’re most familiar. These became popular in cathedrals and the palaces and estates of the wealthy. Over the course of the Fifteenth Century, chandeliers became increasingly ornate, and, ultimately were hung with glass or rock crystal. The finest chandeliers of this era came from Germany especially from the areas around the lower Rhine near Cologne and in northern Germany.

This chandelier came from a church and is a rare surviving example of ecclesiastical Fifteenth Century lighting. Furthermore, it is an equally dear example of an iron chandelier, created during a time when most chandeliers were made of less-expensive cast brass. This fixture was one of the Victoria & Albert Museum's early purchases. It was bought in 1857 for £25 and signalled a change in direction in the Museum's collecting priorities under the direction of John Charles Robinson who began as curator in 1853. 

The Home Beautiful: The Wild Man Chandelier Brass, 15th C.

Chandelier Brass
Germany
Fifteenth Century
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in Germany in the Fifteenth Century, this brass figure once adorned a chandelier—likely in a church or cathedral. Chandeliers in religious buildings afforded an opportunity for craftsmen to display their wares, and, therefore, they tended to be highly elaborate and decorative.

It’s difficult to specifically place the exact spot in Germany where this brass was made, but it’s a safe bet that it was in Nuremburg which was a center of brass manufacture prior to the Seventeenth Century.

The brass wild man once held a club and a shield, but these were lost—presumably around the same time he was stripped from the chandelier.            

The Home Beautiful: The Wroxton Abeey Ormolu and Cut Glass Chandelier, 1815

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made to send the light of candles into glittering cascades, this chandelier dates to 1815 and was made of cut glass mounted in an ormolu framework for Wroxton Abbey, Oxfordshire.

Donated to the V&A in 2003, the piece shows just how important lighting was in Regency interiors, serving to enhance the effect of the characteristic rich colors and gilding. The amount of reflective cut glass and crystal used in chandeliers was enhanced by creating tent-like shapes composed of small pieces of cut glass suspended on wires.

Mastery of Design: A German Wrought Iron Chandelier, 1450-1500

Chandelier
Wrought Iron, 1450-1500
Germany
This and all related images:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here we see a chandelier of painted and gilt wrought iron designed in a triangular form, and surmounted by a large suspension ring. The entire fixture is adorned with cusped arches, pinnacles and Gothic foliage with branches and pans for 6 candles. Each cup features borders of openwork running foliage while the central socket of the chandelier shows a fitting for either thinner candle or the figure of a saint.


This is a chandelier in its purest form since, after all, a “chandelier” is literally a “candleholder,” with its name deriving from the French word for candle, “chandelle.” Hanging chandeliers have always been important functional and decorative interior details.

The earliest chandeliers evolved from “candle-beams” which were essentially two pieces of wood which were nailed together in the form of a cross with spike at each end. Candles of animal fat (or tallow) were fixed on the spikes. By the Fifteenth Century—when this example was made, chandeliers had evolved into the ring or crown designs with which we’re most familiar. These became popular in cathedrals and the palaces and estates of the wealthy. Over the course of the Fifteenth Century, chandeliers became increasingly ornate, and, ultimately were hung with glass or rock crystal. The finest chandeliers of this era came from Germany especially from the areas around the lower Rhine near Cologne and in northern Germany.

This chandelier came from a church and is a rare surviving example of ecclesiastical Fifteenth Century lighting. Furthermore, it is an equally dear example of an iron chandelier, created during a time when most chandeliers were made of less-expensive cast brass. This fixture was one of the Victoria & Albert Museum's early purchases. It was bought in 1857 for £25 and signalled a change in direction in the Museum's collecting priorities under the direction of John Charles Robinson who began as curator in 1853.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Thomastown Chapel Chandelier

Chandelier
1760-1765
Ireland
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Over the past year, I’ve shown you some of the antique chandeliers that adorn my home. I have a fondness for crystal chandeliers and always like when they have some age to them.
Here’s an example of a lovely crystal chandelier which is housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum. Made in England between 1760 and 1765, this chandelier of blown glass over a metal frame was presented to the Thomastown Chapel, County Kilkenny, Ireland, by Sir John Power, slightly after it was created.

After the switch to electricity, the chandelier was not electrified as many were. Instead, it was removed and replaced with a more modern fixture in the Nineteenth Century. The glittering masterpiece was purchased by one Major W.H. Mulville, who presented it to the V&A in 1931. Consequently, the chandelier remains as it was in 1760—outfitted for candles and totally unaltered.

Object of the Day: An Antique Three-Arm Chandelier

Lighting in the 1920’s often borrowed design ideas from other eras. In this case, we see that the inspiration for this three-arm, gilt-metal fixture is the urn-shaped hanging lamps of the French Second Empire.


The chandelier is quite simple in design. The central urn is ornamented with three ormolu mounts in a floral pattern. Otherwise, the piece relies heavily on its shape for its natural elegance. Dripping with tear-drop shaped prisms, this small fixture adds just the right amount of light and shimmer to a room.

Object of the Day: A Maria Theresa Chandelier

Taking its name from the woman who popularized them, the Maria Theresa Chandelier rose to the height of fashion during the reign of Austrian Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780). These chandeliers are known for their graceful curves and their many large prisms. While the chandeliers appear to be constructed completely from glass, they do have a metal skeleton upon which the crystal is draped and hung. Since the Eighteenth Century, Maria Theresa Chandeliers have been an integral part of lighting design. In many ways, they define the very idea of the crystal chandelier.


This Maria Theresa Chandelier dates to 1920-1930 and comes from France. Typical of Maria Theresa design, the chandelier features arcing glass-arms, large bobeche and swags of crystal beads, dripping with prisms. An addition of 1920’s style, this chandelier features “Kite Shape” prisms. With their rectilinear diamond-form, these prisms are an interesting counterpart to the traditional curvilinear pendalogues.

Of course, this fixture has been rewired. When incorporating an antique or vintage chandelier into your décor, make sure that the wiring is sound. Very often, older wires will become brittle or deteriorate and may cause a hazard. An electrician will be able to help you decide if the wiring of your cherished fixture is safe.