Chandeliers
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When I think of chandeliers, I am reminded of an older cigarette campaign that was popular when I was young. Chandeliers, you’ve come a long way baby! These decorative lighting fixtures that we now seeing hovering above our heads throughout homes in the US and across the world are very different from their humble beginnings. Coming from a french word meaning candle, the earliest chandeliers were fairly crude fixtures consisting of a cross with spikes at the end of each beam for the candles. Of course, back in the medieval times, say the 13 or 14 hundreds, the candles were actually animal fat also known as tallow. These lard candles had to be fairly messy and the only reason that a chandelier would be used during this time would be to light places of assembly after dark. It would probably be too much work for the payoff to light your home by chandelier, at least for those folks that could afford homes at that time.
They evolved over time as all technology does (or fades away giving rise to a superior product or marketing campaign). Even with the improved technology in candle making and the emergence of chandeliers made from other materials such as brass and other metals, only the very rich could afford to use them to light their homes. Since their homes were mainly palaces or mansions of some type, chandeliers for many years were really only used to light palaces, mansions, or places of assembly. It wasn’t until the middle classes began to grow and have a little disposable cash that they became a common place fixture in the average home.
Somewhere in the 18th century advancing technologies in the making of glass allowed the production of crystals to plummet in cost. This was a marriage made in heaven. The crystal with its ability to reflect the light from the chandelier candles (which at this point most likely had been replaced with gas burning) led to impressive displays in the home and wherever these works of art would end up. I believe that Queen Victoria gave someone (although I’m not sure who was to receive it) a crystal chandelier with a weight exceeding 4 tons. Now that is a large lighting fixture!
As time has marched on they have come and gone from the favor of the public over the years. They have seen somewhat of a revival since the end of world war II, and these days chandeliers can reflect almost any taste or fashion style that you can dream up. That’s right, we are no longer limited to the crystal chandeliers so popular in the years gone by. More contemporary models are fashioned out of materials like brass, glass, ceramic, or even deer antlers. In fact, there are more and more people looking to outfit their homes in a rustic, small cabin sort of feel by using chandeliers known as antler chandeliers. Modern chandeliers can be in colors wild to the most basic available. The art of chandelier making has lived through Italian designers for years, who are known for their creative and expressive chandelier creations.
In future articles we will look more closely at some specific incarnations of chandeliers, such as the candle chandelier, the antler chandelier, and some antique chandeliers. So please drop by often as we look at all things chandelier.
