Crystal Corner Antique Chandeliers has dated this French Amethyst Glass Chandelier to the 1900s.
The coronet catches the light from above and draws the eye down through the open birdcage structure, which is left uncrowded so that the glass — not the metalwork — carries the piece.
Four arms terminate in finely cut glass bobèches, each drip pan scalloped and star-cut so that it fractures light before it ever reaches the drops below. From the upper ring, generous swags of faceted beaded chain loop between the uprights in an easy, unforced rhythm, softening the cage's geometry and giving the whole a sense of movement.
Smooth amethyst pear drops hang in graduated ranks, their unfaceted surfaces holding a deep, liquid violet. These are interleaved with French slab drops — broad, flat rectangular plaques of clear cut glass, characteristically Gallic and prized for the way they read as sheets of light. Moulded amethyst grapes gather at the arms and lower tier and threaded throughout are unusual Deco crystals: angular, chevroned and stepped forms of the 1920s and '30s, chosen for their sharp geometry against the rounded softness of the pears and grapes.
At a glance
Frame — cage form, dark patinated metal, gilt crown finial
Lights — four, each with a cut glass bobèche
Chains — faceted beaded swags between uprights
Drops — smooth amethyst pears, French clear slab drops, amethyst grape clusters, geometric Deco crystals
Lit, the amethyst throws a warm plum cast across the ceiling while the slab drops and bobèches keep the light clean and bright at the centre — a genuinely unusual combination, and one that suits a room with some architectural confidence: a high-ceilinged hall, a dining room, or a landing where it can be seen from below and from the side.
Crystal Corner Antique Chandeliers has dated this French Amethyst Glass Chandelier to the 1900s.
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Four Light French Amethyst French Antique Chandelier
