Delicious Lighting

The New York Times personal shopper slide show in the Home and Garden section features this chandelier designed by Jose Esteves, in France (but you can buy it in New York). He calls it the Brocante Chandelier, and you can buy single tier versions, as well as two sizes of the multi-tiered one. I'm starting to think my future holds business ownership: I love any decorative art within a decorative art, and there is so much out there, I think a whole shop could be devoted to these sorts of objects.

These lighting devices also remind me of undergrad, when I used to spend a lot of time in the jewelry studio. I wish I knew then what I know now (isn't that always the case...) about decorative arts and the possibilities of things I could have made. I want to go back and make objects like this.

Hello, Chandelier.

I got a chandelier! For this picture, my dad just rigged it up to see if it worked: it needs a good cleaning, perhaps rewiring, and new bulbs. And a home, of course (once I move again I will figure this out). I should have taken a picture from slightly below, so you would see the decoration on the candle arms and cups, the tops of them were left unfinished because they wouldn't have been seen from below. Its mostly brass, with molded decoration, and has all its glass drops. It really is pretty, more than you can tell in this picture, and one day I will post it in all its glory. My dad got a great price on it though, and we've all been keeping our eyes out for so long, it just had to be bought.

Banner Source

From Ackermann's Repository, 1809.

"A representation of a shew-room, 57 feet long and 21 broad, fitted up with great taste, and forming part of the extensive premises of Messrs. Pellatt and Green [later Apsley Pellatt], glass-makers to the king, St. Paul's churchyard. In this room is exhibited an elegant assortment of glass, china and earthen-ware, in a word, of all those articles of humble utility, or costly decoration, which are to be found in the principal glass-shops of this metropolis."

Chandelier Stamp

Last semester I wrote about a weird cut glass object that looked a little like a girandole but was made for serving desserts - so I ended up reading a lot about how girandoles and chandeliers were made. Now I am obsessed with cut glass, related lighting objects, and chandeliers. I was even going to be a chandelier for Halloween this year, but the costume wouldn't have lasted the night, so I gave up.

I was browsing etsy for things with chandeliers and found some gift tags made using a rubber stamp of a chandelier. A little googling brought me to the stamp itself, sold by a company called Impress. I want this, but I know that the people in my life will get sick of cards and gifts covered with chandeliers a lot faster than I will... so maybe it's not a good idea.