Chandelier
Jacques Caffièri (1678 - 1755)
Date: 1751
Place Made: France
Materials & Techniques: Gilt bronze and iron
Dimensions: 179cm x 190 cm
Accession Number: The Wallace Collection, F83
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This beautiful object is a light that hangs from the ceiling, called a chandelier. Before electricity was invented the twelve candles around the edge would have provided most of the light in the room. It was made in France 250 years ago.
At the centre of the chandelier is an iron cage shaped like an hourglass. Iron is a strong metal. The iron cage is strong enough to support the weight of the bronze arms coming from the centre and the decoration underneath the cage.
The branches and the bottom are made of bronze. These would have been individually cast and then fixed with screws onto the iron cage and onto each other. The chandelier has 12 arms and each supports a candle holder. Under each candle is a drip-tray shaped like a shell. This collects the dripping wax and stops it from falling onto the people below.
Teachers' Information
This chandelier was a present from King Louis XV to his daughter and hung in Colorno Palace in Parma, Italy. As a source of light in a room it is more decorative than functional, however the bronze would have reflected the light and the textured surface would have created beautiful effects in candle light.
The decoration also includes a sunflower motif. The sunflower is a symbol of light and was used as an attribute of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV. Louis XIV regarded himself as the Sun King and appropriated a link with Apollo, the god of the sun. As Apollo carries the sun around the world, so Louis XIV assumed the role of light-giver to the French people. When Louis XIV’s grandson succeeded to the throne as Louis XV, he regarded himself as the Sun King and used the same associated symbols.
Activities
1. Ask the children to think about what lighting was like before electricity and how rooms would have looked different. You could think about the different effects of light in a room natural light, candlelight, torchlight, a lamp, a fluorescent light and about the different uses of each. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different kinds of lights?
2. Your class could take photos of the classroom at different times of the day to see when it is brightest. How much natural light does your classroom get? Do you need to have the lights on all day? What effect does the weather have on the light levels in the room? With older children you could link this module into the technology curriculum and look at solar energy.
3. Ask children to count the number of lights they have in each room in their home. Do some rooms have more? Why is that? Is there a room that does not have any windows? Does the use of a room affect the number of lights needed? Older and more able children could calculate how much electricity is used when the lights are on.