Up-to-the-minute Footnotes

Chandeliers are known throughout the world, and are often installed to add a level of sophistication and elegance to any kind of interior space. While the primary objective of a chandelier (Lüster) is as a lighting solution, there is no denying the aesthetic and stylistic benefits of having a chandelier installed in your home. A chandelier is defined as a branched, decorative light fixture, which is mounted onto a ceiling in order to illuminate an internal space. Venetian chandeliers (italian-lighting-center.com/venetian-chandeliers.php) are normally very ornate and often feature intricate designs consisting of complex glass and crystal materials. This allows a chandelier to provide both direct light from its numerous lamps, and refracted light through the reflection of its glass and crystal prisms. For their shear and unmistakable beauty, as well as their history of use throughout western civilisation, the chandelier is a fantastic way to add style and sophistication to any home.

The earliest chandeliers known to man were constructed using candles and assembled in places of worship and religious assembly during medieval times. Simple structures featuring a cross design were often used, and candles were fastened onto spikes and raised with a chain to a suitable height. Later in human history the Murano chandelier was invented and the humble design became a much more complex and ornate construction, and started to become a fixture in peoples’ homes as well as in religious settings. From the 15th century onwards, chandeliers became much more intricate, and it was at this time also that they became associated with ideas surrounding wealth and luxury. This association continues to this day, where chandeliers are often used in homes as a symbol of wealth and sophistication.

In these early times, especially during the 15th and 16th centuries, the night time illumination of a home was an expensive and difficult procedure. It is for this reason that chandeliers were seen as such a powerful symbol of wealth, an association that continues to this day. Even though electric light is easy to come by in the 21st century, the chandelier continues its role as a symbol of beauty and luxury. Modern chandeliers come in a wide range of styles and sizes, from simple ring based designs right through to incredibly complex crown and multi-level contemporary structures. While the world has changed a lot since the birth of the chandelier in medieval times, they still continue to delight and inspire people in the 21st century.