So you inherited a chandelier from your Great Aunt Emily? What do you do with it?
By LINDA BROOKS
Interior Designer
So you inherited a chandelier from your Great Aunt Emily? What do you do with it? Your inheritance could be the catalyst for a makeover of your living spaces or it could have a featured spot over your dining room table. Chandeliers can be incorporated into foyers, living and dining rooms, reading nooks, and bedrooms and bathrooms. I have even seen them used in log homes.
A “chandelier” or “candelabrum” is a hanging lighting fixture – usually a pendant with branches to hold candles or lights, often decorated with prisms and crystals. These were introduced into England by French émigrés who fled their country around 1685.
The first chandeliers were 2 cross pieces of wood having a space for candles at each end. A problem with early candled chandeliers was that they were smoky and they dripped (people did not stand under them). It was a task to trim the wicks and replace burned candles (wicks not requiring maintenance were developed in the 18th century). Owners of chandeliers used a pulley system so they could be raised and lowered easily.
Chandeliers date earlier than the 6th century. Moorish hanging lamps of the 8th century depicted Islamic style, valuing geometry and symmetry. Brass chandeliers from Belgium were fabricated in metals from the 11th to 15th centuries. In Venice (1224), glassmakers established a guild (medieval associations of merchants and artisans to maintain standards for their craft and to protect the interests of their members). The earliest painting featuring a chandelier is “Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife” (1434) by Jan Van Eyck.
How did crystals become such a trademark of chandeliers? The first rock crystal chandeliers appeared in the 17th century. Rock crystals are created in the earth by geological events taking place over the centuries. French glassmakers were the first to emulate rock crystals with molded glass drops.
In 1676, Geroge Ravenscroft, (English), patented a flint glass for crystals that contains lead oxide – it makes glass clearer, easier to cut, prismatic and it allows color to be added to the crystals. As the Industrial Revolution changed the world decorative objects usually owned only by the rich were becoming available to the middle class. They, too, wanted to show off their prosperity – one way to do this was with a fancy chandelier.
When gas lighting became available in the late 19th century chandeliers were refit for its use. If the gas did not work candles were kept close by. Electric bulbs ushered in a new look to chandeliers. Mario Fortuny, (Italian), developed the dimmer switch and made chandeliers out of ornate silk – revolutionizing the way theatres were lit.
Louis Comfort Tiffany, (1848-1933), an American painter and designer, developed his famed Tiffany lamps, combining stained glass with the newly invented light bulbs. Most people have heard of Swarkovski - he invented a machine to cut crystals precisely. Known for his famed Swarkovski crystals he first used his machine for making jewelry – entering the chandelier business in 1965.
What about chandeliers today? They can reflect and mirror designs of the past, be very contemporary, or be more down to earth. I have seen chandeliers fabricated from antlers, metals, plastics, branches, and reclaimed products. The ideas available for a
chandelier look are as varied as the person looking for a chandelier for their particular setting.
As for me, I continue to design different looks for my HGTV bathroom chandelier – it has gone through all the seasons and highlights the different looks that can be developed from a simple double wire wreath ring. I’ve used hearts at Valentines, eggs and bunnies at Easter, greens for Spring, bright orange and yellow beads for Summer, multi-colored leaves for Fall, and crystals and ornaments for Christmas. In each design the light given off by the fixture if diffused differently.
I hope this article has been “enlightening” for you as you’ve looked at the history and use of chandeliers.
Linda Brooks, owner of Design Consulting has an Interior Design Degree from NDSU. She lives in Bowman. View her blog on The Pioneer’s website, bowmanextra.com. She can be contacted via email, lbrooks @ndsupernet.com.
