Chandeliers date back to 6th-century Byzantine oil lamp fixtures, evolving through medieval Europe into the branched, candle-lit designs recognizable by the 15th century. Here's everything you need to know about the glitziest, showiest form of lighting...We could have called this post Puttin’ on the Ritz, since nothing says glamour quite like a chandelier. It evolved from candelabra and the Byzantine polycandelion, though the word "chandelier" itself didn't enter English until the mid-1700s, borrowed from the French chandelle, or candle.
We’ll take you back to the earliest days of the chandelier and then trace its long journey to the modern day, with chandeliers to suit every interior and every taste. We are rather proud of Pooky’s own chandelier range so we are also featuring some of our particular favorites further down.
Chandeliers light up afternoon tea at the Ritz, London. Image credit.
Chandeliers and pendants - what's the difference?
So what exactly is a chandelier and what is the difference between a chandelier and a pendant? A traditional chandelier consists of multiple lamps fixed to or hanging from branched frames; a pendant consists of just one or two lamps hanging from a single cord. And while a chandelier can be as ornate as you like, pendant lighting tends to be simpler.
A mediaeval chandler in his chandlery
Although chandeliers had been around for several centuries, the name chandelier did not appear in the English language until the mid 1700s, derived from the French chandelle (candle), which in turn comes from the Latin, candela. The word chandler comes from the same source: a chandlery was originally the office responsible for wax and candles in a well-to-do mediaeval household. It was also the room in which the candles were kept, presided over by – a chandler.
Chandeliers – first appearances
Mediaeval wooden chandelier with candles.
What we now think of as chandeliers had, in fact, been seen in Europe since the Middle Ages. Using candles as the light source, these early European chandeliers were made of wooden frames; positioned as they were under a timber roof, this made them something of a fire hazard…
6th Century Byzantine polycandelion, Walters Art Museum, Maryland.
They had evolved from the candelabra and polycandelion – a Byzantine form of chandelier that held oil lamps. Polycandela and chandeliers continue to be seen to this day in many different places of worship around the world, including synagogues, churches and mosques, representing light in the darkness.
By the 15th century, metal such as bronze or iron, was often used to create a richly decorated frame in the form of a ring or crown. These ornate frames were the work of skilled craftspeople and expensive; their cost meant that only the wealthiest citizens, such as the nobility, senior clergy, or successful merchants could afford to light their homes with chandeliers. The well-heeled also hunted frequently so, not surprisingly, deer antlers were also used to create chandelier frames.
15th century German chandelier, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Chandeliers in the 18th century
18th century Neoclassical Italian chandelier
If any century could rightly be called ‘The Age of the Chandelier’, then it must be the 18th; there were so many developments in styles and materials. The early years of the century saw the advent of cast ormolu frames; these had long, curved arms that held many candles. Neoclassical design was in its ascendancy too and its motifs featured frequently in chandeliers of the period, with frames made of cast metals. Wood frames were still in use but these were now carved and gilded.
George III ormolu mounted, cut glass, eight-light chandelier c1785
Thanks to advances in glassmaking, lead crystal could now be produced more cheaply and in larger quantities. People loved the way that lead crystal could scatter candlelight across a room and, from the middle of the 18th century, this new type of cut glass chandelier soared in popularity. It would remain the most sought after type of chandelier for the next 150 years.
Europeans with deep pockets looked to the glassmakers of Bohemia and Venice for their chandeliers, with Bohemian chandeliers having the edge; the light refraction created by their crystal facets and bevels was superb. Meanwhile, across the lagoon from Venice, glassmakers on the island of Murano were creating incredible new styles using soda glass, which was renowned for its clarity. The skill lay in shaping and twisting the glass to perfection. Murano chandeliers, known as ciocca (bouquet of flowers) were – and continue to be - breathtaking combinations of arabesques of flowers, fruit and leaves, with added richness coming from colored glass.
On a recent research trip to the island, author Tracy Chevalier was spellbound by the skills of its glassmakers, who are still working in the same way. ‘Venice,’ she remarked on Instagram, ‘is a chandelier. All made by Murano glass maestros.’
Chandeliers – powered by 19th century energy
Art Deco chandelier at the Carew Tower, Cincinatti
Despite the ravages of two world wars and tremendous changes in lifestyles, as well as major developments and changing tastes in interior design, chandeliers have more than held their own. Think of all those glorious Art Deco chandeliers in cinemas and ocean liners.
Italian brass and painted sheet metal Stilnovo style chandelier, 1950s. Image credit
While traditional styles have remained popular, the basic structure has been adapted and transformed. In the 1950s and ‘60s, for example, streamlined chandeliers that paid homage to the Space Age, were produced for the Mid Century Modern home. Pooky has its own versions – see below - and today’s chandeliers are available in an extensive range of textures, embellishment, finishes and styles.
Murano glass Rotunda chandelier by Dale Chihuly, V&A Museum, London
Contemporary chandeliers are often more freeform than their predecessors but also extraordinarily complex, like the work of American glass artist, Dale Chihuly. Chihuly’s spectacular Rotunda chandelier (he prefers the term ‘hanging sculpture’), is one of the first sights that greets visitors to London’s V&A Museum. Over eight meters high and made of blue and green Murano glass, it is so heavy that the V&A had to strengthen the ceiling before it could be hung.
Swarovski crystal chandelier, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat. Image credit.
But our passion for the dazzling traditional crystal chandelier has never died; we still love them and when it comes to making a statement, secular or spiritual, the cut glass version is hard to beat. And, in terms of modern chandeliers, no statement is quite so dramatic, perhaps, as that of the Swarovski crystal chandelier in Oman’s Sultan Qaboos Mosque in Muscat. It weighs eight tons, is eight meters in diameter, and hangs 14 meters from the ceiling; that’s the size of two three-bedroom houses. Its 1,122 halogen lights provide illumination for the sparkling brilliance that comes from 600,000 crystals.
Chandelier style – the Pooky way
We are rather proud of our chandeliers and like to think that there is a chandelier for everyone and every home in our collection. Rest assured, while we do have a couple of whoppers, none weigh anything like eight tons! Here's a look at the range of styles you'll find, from retro and playful to quietly contemporary.
Start with something a little different: a retro centerpiece built from rows of colored glass tubes, bold rather than traditional, and confident enough to take center stage in the right room. If Art Deco speaks to you more, look for designs featuring glass rods set into a brass frame, some two-layer with multiple bulbs for a larger room, others single-layer and more compact for a smaller space, same era, different scale.
For a quieter, more contemporary mood, there's a less-is-more direction too, undulating solid brass forms with barely any fuss beyond that, closer to a large, effortlessly floating sculpture than what most people picture when they hear the word chandelier, which is rather the point. And it's not only Murano glassmakers who take inspiration from nature; look out for designs that draw on leaves, fruits, and flowers too, finished in soft, subtly antiqued tones with bulbs sprouting from botanical detail, lovely left bare with naked candle bulbs, or dressed with shades for something softer.
And then there's the showstopper: a design where a plain, unfussy frame is used deliberately, so all the glass can do the talking, drops and beads of crystal that make the light truly sing, the kind of piece built for a lifetime of enjoyment.
At Pooky we make beautiful lighting for beautiful homes. Browse our affordable chandeliers here.
FAQs about the history of chandeliers
What's the difference between a chandelier and a candelabra?
Though chandeliers evolved from candelabra, the two aren't the same thing. A candelabra sits on a table or stand and holds multiple candles at arm's reach, while a chandelier hangs from the ceiling, its branches designed to be seen and admired from below. That shift from a tabletop object to a suspended centerpiece is exactly what today's chandelier collection continues, just with electric light in place of candlelight.
When did chandeliers switch from candles to electric light?
Electricity transformed the chandelier in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as households gradually moved away from candles and gas lamps. The ornate frames that once held candle sockets were adapted to hold electric bulbs instead, freeing designers to experiment with new shapes and styles, from Art Deco through to the freeform, sculptural chandeliers in our chandelier collection today.
What is a bobèche?
A bobèche is the small disc, traditionally glass or metal, that sits around a candle socket or bulb on a chandelier arm. Originally it caught dripping wax, but it stuck around as a decorative detail long after candles gave way to electric light, one of several bits of chandelier terminology that outlived their original purpose.
Why do chandeliers have multiple arms or branches?
Partly for practical reasons: more arms meant more candles, and more even light across a room than a single flame could give. It's also why the shift to metal frames mattered so much, metal could support far more arms and weight than wood without adding to the fire risk, letting chandeliers grow larger and more elaborate over time.
Who invented the chandelier?
There's no single inventor. The chandelier developed gradually over more than a thousand years, from Byzantine oil-lamp fixtures, through medieval European wood and metal frames, to the crystal designs that took off in the 18th century, with glassmakers in Bohemia and Murano each shaping the style in their own way. It's really the product of centuries of craftspeople refining the idea, not one person's design.