Getty Museum

Chandelier

Date

about 1710–1715

Medium

Colored and plain glass; silvered foil lacquered with green and pink translucent varnish; paktong (an alloy of nickel, zinc, and copper); gilt and silvered bronze; rock crystal

Culture

German

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

This early chandelier's frame consists of four branches made of silvered bronze and set with short lengths of clear glass wrapped in foils coated with pink and green varnish. The rosettes and pendants or drops are also colored with foil covered in transparent varnishes of pink, while glass beads are tinted blue, green, brown, and purple to imitate colored gemstones. The chandelier was probably produced in Wurzburg, Germany, as similar chandeliers hang in the Royal Palace there. Most of the intricate craftsmanship on this chandelier can only be seen from the top and sides, which suggests that it may have hung in a stairwell where the viewer could climb above it.

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