Chandelier à la Grecque
Attributed to Baccarat
France, Circa 1880
An antique Louis XVI style chandelier à la grecque in gilt bronze and cut crystal, attributed to Baccarat, France, circa 1880. A late 19th-century lighting fixture, it unites the rigor of Neoclassical ornament with the brilliance of faceted crystal. The fluted central stem rises to a crown of volutes from which long garlands of octagonal crystal beads cascade, punctuated by pear-shaped and faceted point drops. At its base, four brackets form Greek key meanders—the right-angled geometric motifs that lend the chandelier its name—resting upon acanthus leaves. From these spring six scrolling light branches terminating in scalloped crystal bobeches dressed with prismatic pendeloques. Below, chains of octagons link the branches, and a cascade of crystal drops draws the eye down to the faceted crystal sphere that crowns the base. The "goût à la grecque" emerged in Paris around 1760 as a reaction against the curvilinear excesses of the Rococo style, with ornamentists drawing straight lines and geometric friezes from Classical Antiquity. Highly favored under Louis XVI, it returned to prominence in the second half of the 19th century as the great French luxury houses reinterpreted the classical repertoire. Electrified, this antique chandelier of measured proportions will effortlessly find its place in a dining room, an entrance hall, a bedroom, or a study.
2 700 €
- Artist / Maker
- Attributed to Baccarat
- Circa
- 1880
- Origin
- France
Dimensions
Lustre
- Height 35 in(89 cm)
- Diameter 22 in(56 cm)
Technique / Materials
- Gilt bronze, cut crystal
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