Victorian Style Gilt Brass 12-Light Chandelier
France
19th Century
Bronze with glass details
12 lights
Cm 73 high x 57 diameter
This French gilt brass 12-light chandelier seems to take its overall structure from the gas chandeliers (gasoliers) of the 1850s and 60s, but having no gas cocks or external wiring, this lamp was made for electricity, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century.
The decorative elements are compelling - all twelve socket arms issue forth from the mouths of twelve grotesque faces encircling the bottom bowl of the lamp. These faces appear to follow the tradition of "The Green Man," often portrayed as a male face surrounded by leaves and sometimes disgorging vegetation from his mouth. Though probably having origins in Pagan myth, they have also been found decorating churches as old as c.400 AD. The design motif the Green Man enjoyed a revival during the Victorian Era, and found its way onto buildings, furniture and decorative items produced during this period.
The chandelier is in excellent structural shape, and each of its light sockets is decorated with a circular clear glass bobeche or "drip catcher," all in fine shape with no cracks or chips.