{"id":5304,"date":"2025-12-04T14:30:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T13:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/?post_type=newsletter&p=5304"},"modified":"2026-04-07T15:38:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:38:26","slug":"chandeliers","status":"publish","type":"newsletter","link":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/newsletter\/chandeliers\/","title":{"rendered":"Chandeliers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Suspended masterpieces<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Six-light chandelier<\/em>, detail, circa 1740, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Arts (inv. 1974.356.111)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is difficult for our eyes\u2014accustomed to electric light\u2014to imagine the subtlety of interior lighting in the eighteenth century. Dependent on the flickering golden glow of candles, illumination was amplified by gilding, mirrors, and reflections from crystal. Light itself was a luxury, and the objects that bore it were true works of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Andr\u00e9-Charles Boulle (after), Chandelier with dolfins<\/em>, circa 1700, Paris, Mus\u00e9e du Louvre (inv. OA 10513)\u00a9 Ch\u00e2teau de Versailles, Dist. RMN \/ \u00a9 Christophe Fouin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the various lighting fixtures found in eighteenth-century interiors, the chandelier was undoubtedly the most majestic. Suspended high above, it adorned the ceiling and drew every gaze. It symbolized the wealth and power of its owner: exceptionally expensive, a chandelier could be worth several thousand livres<\/em>. They appeared only in the grandest households, and only the most important rooms merited such embellishment. The Livre-Journal<\/em> of the marchand-mercier<\/em> Lazare Duvaux, detailing the repairs and cleanings of Madame de Pompadour\u2019s chandeliers, mentions \u201cthe\u201d rock-crystal chandelier at Versailles or Bellevue\u2014as if she possessed only a single example.
Because of their richness, prestige, and the craftsmanship they required, chandeliers made ideal diplomatic gifts. Louis XV offered magnificent gilt-bronze examples to European sovereigns, notably to his daughter Louise-\u00c9lisabeth, Princess of Parma. The two sumptuous rocaille chandeliers by Caffieri that she received for the palace of Colorno are now in the Wallace Collection in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jacques Caffieri, Philipe Caffieri (probably by), Chandelier, presented by Louis XV to his daughter Princess Louise-Elisabeth of Parma<\/em>, crica 1751, Londres, Wallace Collection (inv. F84)\u00a9 The Wallace Collection<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several types of chandeliers existed, differing in form and material. In his Dictionnaire des Arts et M\u00e9tiers<\/em>, republished in 1773, Abb\u00e9 Jaubert distinguishes three varieties: \u201c\u00e0 cage d\u00e9couverte\u201d (bare cage) chandeliers, with no applied ornaments; \u201c\u00e0 console\u201d chandeliers, also called cage<\/em> chandeliers; and \u201c\u00e0 lac\u00e9s\u201d (laced) chandeliers. The first category consists primarily of gilt-bronze works. At the end of the seventeenth century, designers and bronzeworkers created small gilt-bronze models richly decorated with figures. Jean B\u00e9rain (1640\u20131711) and Andr\u00e9-Charles Boulle (1642\u20131732) offered early examples in their engraved pattern books. These models evolved with changing tastes: adopting rocaille forms during the reign of Louis XV, then returning to neoclassical rigor at the century\u2019s end. Such chandeliers were produced by the greatest bronziers\u2014Boulle, the Caffieri family, Pierre Gouthi\u00e8re (1732\u20131813), Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751\u20131843), and Fran\u00e7ois R\u00e9mond (1747\u20131812), to name only a few. One masterpiece is the chandelier with musician children made for the Comte de Provence, executed around 1780 by R\u00e9mond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fran\u00e7ois R\u00e9mond (attributed to), Dominique Daguerre, Arabesque chandelier with child musicians, probably seized from the Comte de Provence at the Luxembourg palace in 1790<\/em>, circa 1775\u20131785, Versailles, Ch\u00e2teaux de Versailles et de Trianon (inv. VMB 1137)\u00a9 Ch\u00e2teau de Versailles, Dist. RMN \/ \u00a9 Christophe Fouin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c0 lac\u00e9s<\/em> chandeliers and \u00e0<\/em> console<\/em> chandeliers, by contrast, were creations of crystal. Rock crystal was the earliest material used for lighting fixtures. Under Louis XIV, these stones were avidly sought after, cut and selected for their purity. More than simple light sources, chandeliers were then jewels hung from the ceiling. Rock crystal supply was difficult, which only increased their cost and prestige. In 1778, the rock-crystal manufactory of Brian\u00e7on was founded to exploit the Alpine mines, and Louis XVI elevated it to the status of royal manufactory in 1784. Owning a rock-crystal chandelier throughout the eighteenth century was a mark of opulence and an essential of the grandest interiors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c\u00e0 lac\u00e9s\u201d chandelier in rock crystal<\/em>, circa 1700, Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum (inv. 88.DH.17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their high cost and rarity, however, encouraged artisans to seek alternatives. In 1699, Bertin (1668\u20131736), a royal designer, received a privilege to produce molded-glass chandeliers imitating rock crystal. Beads and later faceted glass drops were developed, and numerous European manufactories dedicated themselves to their production. Bohemia became a major center for this industry; rock-crystal pendants were even sent from France to be reproduced there in glass. The Queen\u2019s crystal manufactory, first established at S\u00e8vres in 1782, was relocated to Montcenis in 1786.
Whether of rock crystal or glass, the drops\u2014plaques, prisms, spikes, pyramids, and pendants\u2014appeared in a wide variety of shapes. Attached to the brass or bronze armatures of cage<\/em> chandeliers, they formed airy compositions that played with light, reflection, and transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201ccage\u201d or \u201cen console\u201d chandelier, in gilt bronze and Bohemia crystal, from the Crown Collections<\/em>, 18th<\/sup> century, Versailles, Ch\u00e2teaux de Versailles et de Trianon (inv. T 1282)\u00a9 Ch\u00e2teau de Versailles, Dist. RMN \/ \u00a9 Christophe Fouin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chandelier trade in Paris was driven above all by the marchands-merciers<\/em>. Lazare Duvaux recorded numerous deliveries in his Livre-Journal<\/em>. The dealer Julliot supplied Louis XV in 1739 with a large rock-crystal chandelier for his Petite Galerie<\/em> at Versailles, while Alexis Delaroue, \u201cordinary chandelier-maker to the king,\u201d delivered another for Marie-Antoinette\u2019s Cabinet de la M\u00e9ridienne<\/em>. Able to procure both rock crystal and faceted-glass plaques from Bohemia and beyond, the marchands-merciers<\/em> also devised original combinations of materials for their chandeliers, incorporating strikingly modern elements. Porcelain and even colored glass\u2014developed by George Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Stras (1701\u20131773) in 1730\u2014appeared in magnificent compositions. In December 1741, the dealer H\u00e9bert delivered to the king\u2019s cabinet at Choisy a chandelier \u201cof gilt and enameled bronze, adorned in the center with three porcelain figures of shepherds and shepherdesses (\u2026) the stem formed of enameled and painted branches and flowers (\u2026).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Charles-Germain de Saint-Aubin, Chandelier made for the King of Prussia<\/em>, 1760, Paris, Mus\u00e9e du Louvre (inv. RF 52203)\u00a9 GrandPalaisRmn (Mus\u00e9e du Louvre) \/ Thierry Le Mage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Masterpieces of bronze and crystal, chandeliers rank among the finest works of art produced in the eighteenth century. Lavish and dazzling, they symbolized the splendor of their owners\u2014and still invite us today to raise our eyes in admiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bibliography:<\/strong>
Pierre Verlet, Les Bronzes dor\u00e9s Fran\u00e7ais du XVIIIe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle<\/em>, Picard, 1999
Marie-France Dupuy-Bayle, De Bronze et de Cristal. Objets d\u2019ameublement XVIIIe<\/sup>-XIXe<\/sup> si\u00e8cles du Mobilier national<\/em>, \u00c9ditions Faton, 2020
Peter Rath, Josef Holey, Furniture in the Air. The crystal chandelier in Europe<\/em>, Verlag Biblilothek der Provinz, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is difficult for our eyes\u2014accustomed to electric light\u2014to imagine the subtlety of interior lighting in the eighteenth century. Dependent on the flickering golden glow of candles, illumination was amplified by gilding, mirrors, and reflections from crystal. Light itself was a luxury, and the objects that bore it were true works of art.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5301,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","inline_featured_image":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5304","newsletter","type-newsletter","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"url_news1":{"simple_value_formatted":"","value_formatted":"","value":"","field":{"ID":438,"key":"field_64c00914a1189","label":"URL","name":"url_news1","aria-label":"","prefix":"acf","type":"url","value":null,"menu_order":0,"instructions":"","required":0,"id":"","class":"","conditional_logic":0,"parent":437,"wrapper":{"width":"","class":"","id":""},"only_front":0,"frontend_admin_display_mode":"edit","no_values_message":"","wp-typography":"none","default_value":"","placeholder":"","wpml_cf_preferences":1,"_name":"url_news1","_valid":1}}},"mcc_id":null,"mcc_type":null,"mcc_status":null,"mcc_create_time":null,"mcc_send_time":null,"mcc_emails_sent":null,"mcc_delivery_status":null,"mcc_content_type":null,"mcc_archive_url":null,"mcc_long_archive_url":null,"mcc_plain_text":null,"mcc_content_html":null,"mcc_recipients":null,"mcc_list_id":null,"mcc_list_name":null,"mcc_segment_text":null,"mcc_recipient_count":null,"mcc_settings":null,"mcc_tracking":null,"mcc_social_card":null,"mcc_report_summary":null,"mcc___links":null,"mcc__edit_lock":null,"mcc__edit_last":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/5304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newsletter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5304"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/5304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5945,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/5304\/revisions\/5945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}