Chandeliers of different times

      Candle Chandeliers, Murano Chandeliers and electric-only Chandeliers are all the representatives Chandeliers of different period. As Chandeliers nowadays are often used as decorative focal points and do not illuminate. So does the three above. Let’s review Chandeliers like these in different periods.  

      The earliest candle Chandeliers were used by the wealthy in medieval times, this type of Chandelier could be moved to different rooms. From the 15th century, more complex forms of Chandeliers, based on ring or crown designs, became popular decorative features in palaces and homes of nobility, clergy and merchants. Its high cost made the Chandelier a symbol of luxury and status.

     During the 18th century glass Chandeliers were prevailing. And Murano Chandeliers became popular as its consummate craft. Typical features of a Murano Chandelier are the intricate arabeques of leaves, flowers and fruits that would be enriched by coloured glass, made possible by the specific type of glass used in Murano. This glass they worked with was so unique, as it was soda glass (famed for its extraordinary lightness) and was a complete contrast to all different types of glass produced in the world at that time. An incredible amount of skill and time was required to precisely twist and shape a Chandelier. Their shape was inspired by an original architectural concept: the space on the inside is left almost empty since decorations are spread all around the central support, distanced from it by the length of the arms. One of the common use of the huge Murano Chandeliers was the interior lighting of theatres and rooms in important palaces.

     In the mid-19th century, as gas lighting caught on, branched ceiling fixtures called gasoliers (a portmanteau of gas and Chandelier) were produced, and many candle Chandeliers were converted. By the 1890s, with the appearance of electric light, some Chandeliers used both gas and electricity. As distribution of electricity widened, and supplies became dependable, electric-only Chandeliers became standard. 

     More complex and elaborate Chandeliers continued to be developed throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but the widespread introduction of gas and electricity had devalued the Chandelier's appeal as a status symbol.