Pair of Candle Lustres
These pair of candle lustres are double-holder table and mantel pieces designed to scatter candlelight through hanging glass prisms.
Pair of Candle Lustres
A pair of candle lustres combines a standard candlestick or lamp form with a ring of hanging glass prisms meant to catch and multiply the flame. When you search for a pair of candle lustres, you encounter items primarily from the Victorian and Regency periods, alongside pieces dated around the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The objects on this page appear in various glass colours including green, pink, yellow, ruby, and clear cut-glass, as well as opaque opaline and Bohemian overlay glass. Alongside glass, foundational frames incorporate brass, ormolu, gilt bronze, and bronze, sometimes taking figurative shapes such as stags, does, or griffins.
Forms span table lustres, mantel lustres, and candle-lamps, occasionally accompanied by storm shades or designed as candelabra. These lighting pieces typically sit upon mantelpieces or dining tables to illuminate rooms through reflected candlelight.
How they were made
Maker workshops built these lustres by combining cast metal mounts in brass, ormolu, and gilt bronze with blown or pressed glass bodies. Metal components provide structural support for the candle sockets and the crown rings that suspend the glass elements.
Glass sections receive their decoration through cutting, flashing, and enamel application, creating faceted surfaces that refract light. Individual glass drops or prisms hang from the upper rim via wire loops or pins, dangling around the central column or bobeche.
Pair of Candle Lustres Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for pair of candle lustres among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Periods represented span from the eighteenth century through the Regency and Victorian eras up to nineteen-thirty.
What varies in quality
Quality rests upon the depth and crispness of the glass cutting, the clarity of the crystal or coloured glass, and the precision of the metal castings. Pieces that retain a complete set of matching original prisms command higher regard than those supplemented by replacement drops.
The refinement of ormolu or gilt bronze mounts, particularly on figurative bases like stags or griffins, distinguishes standard production from more ambitious workshop output. Heavier gauge metalwork and sophisticated overlay glass techniques indicate superior manufacturing standards.
The Pair of Candle Lustres Glossary
- Lustre
- A candlestick or candelabrum fitted with hanging glass prisms designed to catch and reflect light. These decorative lighting items populate mantelpieces and tables.
- Prism
- A cut glass drop suspended from the rim of a lustre to refract candlelight. Prisms hang in matched sets around the candle nozzle.
- Ormolu
- Finely ground high-carat gold applied to a bronze or brass object using mercury. This technique imparts a rich golden finish to metal mounts.
- Overlay glass
- Glass formed of two or more distinct layers of different colours where the outer layer is partially cut away to reveal the colour beneath. Bohemian glass makers frequently utilised this method.
- Bobeche
- A small collar or drip pan fitted below the candle socket to catch melting wax. It often serves as the hanging point for glass prisms.
Pair of Candle Lustres: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a lustre?
A lustre is a candlestick or lamp featuring a circle of hanging glass drops that scatter and multiply the flame.
These decorative objects were placed on mantelpieces and tables to enhance illumination in dimly lit rooms.
How do you clean them?
Cleaning involves washing the glass prisms individually in warm soapy water while leaving the metal mounts untouched by harsh liquids.
Prisms should be dried thoroughly before being reattached to the metal crown with their wire hooks.
Where were they placed?
Lustres sat principally on drawing room mantelpieces and dining tables where reflected candlelight added brilliance to evening gatherings.
Their placement near mirrors or polished surfaces further amplified the flickering light.
Are all the drops original?
Many surviving lustres have accumulated replacement glass drops over decades of use and handling.
Examining the cut, age, and tint of individual prisms helps determine if the set remains uniform.