Chandelier

This cut-glass chandelier was made originally about 1787 for Somerford Park, Cheshire. The form is that often followed in the late eighteenth century. A central shaft is concealed by a series of vase- and baluster-shaped enlargements, with canopies at the top and bottom. Ten large arms support the candles; ten smaller ones of a purely decorative significance terminate in slender obelisks. All the arms are enriched with concave prismatic cutting. The effect is completed by strings of crystals of various sizes and exceptional brilliance. Especially noteworthy is the large crystal drop at the base of the shaft. The chandelier is said to be of Irish origin. It is, however, not at all improbable that it may have been made in England.