A Large and Impressive Gilt-Bronze Régence Style Thirty-Branch Chandelier

Description

A Large And Impressive Gilt-Bronze Régence Style Thirty-Branch Chandelier. The massive central baluster stem finely cast with ‘C’-scrolls, cherub masks and acanthus, issuing three tiers of scrolling candle arms finely embellished with acanthus decoration and terminating in lobbed and fluted circular drip pans with hexagonal baluster candle sockets. The corona is fitted with a large gilt-bronze suspension ring.

The monumental scale and quality of this chandelier would suggest that it would only have been made as a one off commission for a very important house or palace. For any craftsman at this time to invest the huge money it would have involved in producing a project on this scale without a commission, and to specific requirements, would have been unheard of.

A very similar chandelier to the one the present chandelier is modelled on is illustrated by Hans Ottomeyer in his book ‘Vergoldete Bronzen II’ , p. 13.