The Chandelier

May 1988 Interior Design The word chandelier, like so many terms in the field of design, comes
from the French. Originally a chandelier was a candle holder. Candles
were made of tallow, and they were used in candlesticks on a table or
chest, in sconces attached to a wall or hanging overhead. In modern
parlance, a chandelier is a lighting fixture of two or more arms
suspended from the ceiling.

It is difficult to imagine how little light there was in a 17th-century
house after dark. The strongest light came from the fire in the
fireplace. Candles were used sparingly: they were expensive; also, the
light would flicker and pulse, and sometimes smoke, discouraging any
kind of sustained work. After nightfall, most people went to bed.

Ceiling fixtures are not mentioned frequently in inventories of English
or French houses of the 17th century. In the low countries of the
Netherlands, brass chandeliers were becoming more popular. Brass was
produced locally, and it was used in a variety of styles. The typical
Dutch chandelier of this period had six or more radiating branches from
a central body that was round or ovoid in shape. These fixtures were
exported all over Nothern Europe and then imitated in other countries.

As the use of ceiling fixtures proliferated throughout Europe, their
design became an important decorative feature. The great polished globes
and balusters glowed in the light of the candles. The branches became
more intricate and were sometimes attached in two or even three tiers.
The effect was often enhanced by small plates which were set on the arms
to catch the light.

The most striking 17th-century innovations came in France from the use
of rock crystal to reflect the light. Beads of crystal were threaded on
to wire armatures to form arms or linked together to create chains. Rock
crystal was principally produced in Milan, but it was the French who
used it and created exquisite crystal chandeliers. These chandeliers
were admired by the English and widley copied.

By the end of the 17th century, the French were making chandeliers with
local glass. The general effect was the same, but the cost was much
lower. The word for glass in French is "cristal" which is confusing, but
it is not difficult to differentiate between glass, which is clear, and
rock crystal, which is cloudy and much more expensive.

Chandeliers were hung low so that the candles could be lit and snuffed
out. They were usually suspended from a hook by means of a stout cord
that could be decorative. There is no indication that chains were used,
so the vogue for covering the chain with an elaborate sleeve of silk or
velvet came later in the 18th century. At the same time bows of silk or
velvet were sometimes used to disguise the hooks and rings at the top of
the chandelier.

We who have grown up with the steady and efficient light of the electric
bulb find it hard to understand the difficulties of living and working
with candlelight, then oil and gaslight. But we can imagine, because we
sometimes return to it, the romantic glow of candlelight. The flickering
light makes our decor come alive--mirrors sparkle, gilt glitters,
leather glows and brass shines.

There are several antiques shops that carry fine chandeliers in New
York. I have found beautiful Dutch brass fixtures at Garvin Mecking on
East 11th Street, at Midtown Antiques and Hyde Park Antiques on lower
Broadway. Ann Morris on East 60th Street is a marvelous resource for all
kinds of beautiful old fixtures--brass, crystal, iron and steel. I
discovered a most unusual 18th-century wood and crystal chandelier at
Geoffrey Goodman on Broadway. The fixture in the photograph, and other
choice examples, can be seen at Hamilton-Hyre on Bleeker Street.

PHOTO : A decorative six light chandelier made in America at the turn of
the century combines

PHOTO : crystal and blue bristol in an unusual design.


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