A LARGE BELGIAN GLASS TWENTY-FOUR LIGHT CHANDELIER

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CHANDELIERS Until the end of the eighteenth century with the invention of the Argand lamp, no important developments had been made since Roman times to improve exterior or interior lighting with homes primarily lit by firelight that was supplemented by the use of rushlights candles and oil lamps. The Argand lamp was first patented in France in 1783 and produced light equal to ten candles due to the wide circular wick and central draught to draw the flame. This invention represented a significant development in domestic lighting and was not superseded until gas lighting began to gain popularity from the 1830s and then later electric lighting became possible at the very end of the nineteenth century. The chandeliers offered here present a wide spectrum of styles and designs to suit interior spaces from the dazzling Val Saint Lambert glass chandelier (lot 149) for a grand entrance halls to the refined bronze George IV chandelier for a smaller sitting room.

A LARGE BELGIAN GLASS TWENTY-FOUR LIGHT CHANDELIER

BY VAL SAINT LAMBERT, FIRST HALF 20TH CENTURY

Details

A LARGE BELGIAN GLASS TWENTY-FOUR LIGHT CHANDELIER
BY VAL SAINT LAMBERT, FIRST HALF 20TH CENTURY
With two tiers of of spiral-twist scolling branches, each terminating in a petal-cut drip pan, hung overall with faceted and prismatic drops, stamped to the spiral corona 'VAL ST LAMBERT BELGIQUE', some later additions
90½ in. (230 cm.) high approximately

Provenance

Bonhams, Knightsbridge, 12 May 2009, lot 107.
By repute, from the residence of an important Indian family.

Special notice

This lot will be removed to an off-site warehouse at the close of business on the day of sale - 2 weeks free storage

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Lot Essay

The Val Saint Lambert factory was founded in 1826 in the abandoned Val-Saint-Lambert Abbey by a chemist, M. Kemlin, who had previously worked for the Vonêche crystal works in the Ardennes. It is world famous for the production of exceptionally fine crystal glass with outstanding purity and brilliance and is the official supplier to the Royal Household of Belgium. The factory reached its pinnacle during the first two decades of the twentieth century, when more than 5000 employees created around 160,000 crystal pieces ranging from small decorative vases to monumental chandeliers.

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