chandelier

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Murano glass chandelier in Ca 'Rezzonico , Venice

A chandelier (also known as chandelier , in Austria chandelier ) is a lighting element that mostly hangs from the ceiling and produces a play of lights through the use of several light sources and - often - elements for refraction (mostly made of metal , precious stone , glass or plastic ). Chandeliers are often used in highlighted halls , but also in private households for representative purposes. Originally for use with candles thought, as a result of the technical development of the 19th and 20th centuries, chandeliers powered by gas or electricity are also produced.

History and forms

Pressed glass chandelier pliers

Tire crown

One of the first known chandeliers is a 16-flame bronze oil lamp from the 5th century BC, which was found in Camucia near Cortona . However, this “hanging lamp” is more reminiscent of an ornate basin that is mounted on the ceiling with a shaft. Oil lamps are arranged in a circle around the edge of the pool. In the course of time, this pelvic shape has lost its filling in the middle, so that it became a tire on chains. Coptic traffic light crowns from the 5th century AD already show the actual "crown shape" through a wide hoop held by three chains and from which the candle arms protrude like the prongs of a crown.

The spread of Christianity in Europe and, last but not least, the efforts of Charlemagne to revive the ancient legacy ultimately led to the fact that the Coptic traffic light crown shape found its way into European churches and representative rooms as a wheel chandelier . Some of the large ring crowns from the 12th century are still preserved.

Chandelier

Tire crowns were reserved for churches and large representative halls; for the private sector, simple candles or oil lamps or simple cross arms made of wood, which were held by chains or a simple straight forged shaft, were used. This shaft shape was then further developed in the Gothic style and elaborate brass chandeliers were created, which were further developed until the beginning of the 19th century. These highly polished, shiny gold candlesticks were often decorated with reflectors and hung with crystal or glass elements.

Most of the chandeliers in early modern Lutheran churches are foundations , either by individuals or corporations. As a rule, the financing of candles was also regulated in such foundations. Private individuals donated a capital, the interest of which was to be used to pay the candles “in eternity”; Corporations pledged to finance the candles from their current income. The candlesticks donated by private individuals mostly originally hung over the graves of the donors.

Crystal chandelier

The development in glass production in the 18th century allowed the cheaper production of the lead crystal , which led to the fact that the refraction of the crystal quickly became a popular addition to chandeliers.

Famous candlesticks

One of the largest chandeliers in the world is located in the Vienna City Hall . The grand chandelier in the council hall weighs 3.2 tons and is more than five meters in diameter. It was originally built for the World Exhibition in Paris in 1878 and then hung in the Vienna City Hall. In order to be able to change the individual light bulbs more easily, a maintenance passage made of armored glass plates was built into the interior of the chandelier . The chandelier was designed by Friedrich von Schmidt and manufactured by the imperial and royal purveyor to the bronze and silver manufacturer Dziedzinski & Hanusch .

Chandelier in the Dolmabahçe Seraglio, Istanbul

The chandelier in the Muayede Salonu des Dolmabahçe-Seraglio in Istanbul , with its weight of 4.5 tons and 750 lamps, is also one of the largest chandeliers in the world and was made for the builder of the seraglio, Sultan Abdülmecid I , by the company Hancock, Rixon & Dunt made in London. The alleged donation of the chandelier by Queen Victoria is refuted by finding a receipt .

Probably the largest chandelier in the world hangs in the vaulted ceiling of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque . It has a diameter of 10 meters, a height of more than 15 meters and a weight of 12 tons. It is equipped with 15,500 dimmable LEDs, which make different colored crystal glasses sparkle. It was built by the Faustig company from Stockdorf near Munich.

Manufacturer

Among the best-known manufacturers in Austria-Hungary are E. Bakalowits' Sons , J. & L. Lobmeyr , Jos. Zahn & Co. (now part of Lobmeyr), Carl Oswald & Co. , Zeisser, Habiger & Comp. and Dziedzinski & Hanusch. These companies equipped the imperial castles and residences, as well as many public and private buildings. Bakalowits, Lobmeyr and Oswald were appointed royal purveyors to the court . One company that became increasingly active in the chandelier business after the Second World War is D. Swarovski .

A crystal glass industry developed in Bohemia in the 19th century that was known far beyond the borders of the then Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The Bohemian manufacturers supplied the glass for the chandelier manufacturers. Among the best-known manufacturers of chandelier glass were Moser and Gottlob Kralik's hut .

A prominent French manufacturer is baccarat .

See also

literature

  • Claus Bernet : Jerusalem candlesticks, Jerusalem candles and Advent wreaths. Norderstedt 2015, ISBN 978-3-7347-6605-3 .
  • Jürgen Beyer: Foundation, placement and function of wall and chandeliers in Lutheran churches. In: Journal of Lübeck History. In: Band. 92, 2012, pp. 101-150.
  • Hella Heintschel, Maria Dawid: lamps, candlesticks, lanterns since ancient times . Pinguin Verlag, Innsbruck 1975.
  • Käthe Klappenbach: Chandelier - a work of art or a commodity? In: Yearbook Prussian Palace and Gardens Berlin-Brandenburg Foundation , Volume 8, 2006, pp. 23–32, perspectivia.net (PDF), accessed on August 1, 2013.

Web links

Commons : Chandelier  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: chandelier  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Jürgen Beyer: Foundation, placement and function of wall and chandeliers in Lutheran churches . In: Zeitschrift für Lübeckische Geschichte , 92, 2012, pp. 101–150.
  2. Güller Karahüseyin (ed.): Shedding Light on an Era. The Collection of Lighting Appliances in 19th Century Ottoman Palaces. National Palaces Department of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Istanbul 2009, p. 105.