Chandelier

CC0 Public Domain Designation

Applied Arts of Europe

c. 1760

Attributed to Colebron Hancock (English, active 18th century)

Made in England around 1760, this is a rare and relatively early example of a facet-cut lead-glass chandelier. Lead glass, also called lead “crystal,” had been developed in the late 1680s and was prized for its heft, brightness, and clarity—qualities that made it strikingly similar to precious rock crystal, or colorless diamonds. Of particular importance was the ability of lead glass to be cut without shattering. Cut decoration on English glass first appeared in the 1720s, and chandeliers made of facet-cut lead glass became fashionable around the middle of the eighteenth century. Glass chandeliers were not only among the most expensive furnishings of an elite interior—they were also quite expensive to light. The cost of candles for an evening could be equal to several weeks’ wages for a glassworker.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Applied Arts of Europe

Title: Chandelier
Place: England (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: c. 1755–1765
Medium: Lead glass, iron, and brass
Dimensions: 101.6 × 96.5 cm (40 × 38 in.)
Credit Line: Neville and John H. Bryan Endowment Fund; Richard T. Crane Jr. Memorial Fund; Mary Waller Langhorne, Bessie Bennett, and Wendel Fentress Ott endowment funds
Reference Number: 2023.1326
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/266206/manifest.json

Private collection, Derbyshire, UK [this and the following according to correspondence, copy in curatorial object file]; sold to Richard Ratcliffe, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, United Kingdom, by early 1970s; sold to Fileman Antiques, Steyning, UK, early 1970s; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2023.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Suggested Terms

Currently Off View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Title

Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

Extended information about this artwork

Provenance

Share

Explore Further

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.