Tiara of Lights: The History of Chandeliers

Article by: James Hunt

Chandeliers have always seemed synonymous with elegance, wealth, and beauty. Immortalized by Hollywood, one might believe that no grand house , Ten Things You May Not Know About Selecting Hardwood Flooring was complete, unless it had a lavish cut-crystal chandelier hanging in the formal dining room. , Tips in Selecting the Right Kitchen Sink Surprisingly, the true history of the chandelier dates back to a time long before beautiful , Chill Out with a Quality Ceiling Fan southern belles and movie stars. In fact, the first chandeliers were quite humble, when compared to their modern counterparts. The word 'chandelier' comes from the French word 'chandelle,' meaning candle, and the earliest forms of these lights , Bamboo Wood Flooring Guide simply consisted of a wooden , Overview of the Training Necessary to Become a Plumber cross, designed with a small spike at each end. Candles, made of animal fat in those days, were attached to each of these wooden , Tough Boat Ladders Made of Stainless Steel spikes and the chandelier was then supported from the ceiling. Since there was no electricity, , Reuse Works for the Workshop the only alternatives were a small sputtering tallow that could be carried about, wall , Phantom Loads and Energy Saving sconces which only illuminated small sections of rooms, , Design Your Log Home For Resale or the glow of a fireplace. The chandelier, therefore, offered a better form of lighting and was commonly used in places , Making Phone Contact and Preparing for a First Meeting With A Home Improvement Contractor such as medieval churches and abbeys during the 15th century. The first chandeliers that were designed for private use, were only found in the homes , A Brief History of Ceramic Tiles of the very wealthy or powerful. The humble farmer or common tradesman had little use for such forms of lighting, most planning their days around the rising and setting of the sun. , Far Infrared Energy and Far Infrared Saunas - 40 Fascinating Facts Modest homes , 5 Questions To Ask Before Starting Any Improvement Project were often poorly constructed and tiny, the concept of a chandelier being little more than a fire , Conveyor Belts hazard to such domiciles. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the chandelier began to find its way into the homes , Conveyor Belts of more prosperous merchants and, as housing quality began to improve, finally into the homes , Digital satellite TV systems: A whole new entertainment world of the working class. While wealthier homes , The Science of Architecture boasted ornately-crafted chandeliers of brass, the more common households , Materials For Building Window Shutters used wood, , My Front Porch wrought iron, and tin sheet for their chandeliers. Additionally, the chandelier began to evolve as artisans began to experiment with light , Great Chef Cookware Starts Selling Kitchen Products on the World Wide Web refraction, using mirrors, polished brass plates and quartz crystals. In 1676, an English glassmaker, George Ravenscroft, introduced leaded glass , Ceiling Fans are Really Cool to the world of lighting. Softer to work with and better able to refract light, , Ceiling Fans are Really Cool this soon became the preferred material for chandeliers. By the late 1800's, a better method of cutting the leaded glass , Conveyor Belts would be perfected by Daniel Swarovsky, of Austria. This would mark a turning point for the chandelier, where it would cease to simply be functional, but would now become a work of art. The invention of electric , Overview of the Training Necessary to Become a Plumber lighting and better methods of manufacturing have only served to help the chandelier survive throughout the ages. Modern creators have taken this art form to new levels, creating chandeliers beyond one's wildest imaginations; glass , Keep Your Home in 'Good Health' with Home Improvements slippers, martini glasses, , Reuse Works for the Workshop chandeliers that look like thousands of glowing flower , A Brief History of Ceramic Tiles blossoms or even u.f.o.s, it would seem that the possibilities are endless. Ranging in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars, there is a chandelier for every home , How the Grandfather Clock Got Its Name and, seemingly, every dÃƒÂ©cor theme imaginable. Having outlived the test of time, it appears to be a light , My Front Porch ing form that is bound to remain, and keep surprising us, far into the future.

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