The English Glass Chandelier

Very few of us are experts on chandeliers. In fact, even those who have bought them for their homes can be woefully ignorant on the subject. A new book, The English Chandelier by Martin Mortimer should help.

No one knows better than the author, Martin Mortimer, that there has long been a dearth of information on chandeliers. In 1948 he joined the antique glass specialists, Delomosne and Son, 27 years after the company bought their first two chandeliers which they restored and reassembled, unfortunately, according to Martin Mortimer, in the wrong order! The chandeliers eventually passed into the ownership of the Royal Family. In subsequent years Delomosne learnt more about chandeliers and their restoration. In 1938, a colleague, Bernard Perret, sought to remedy the ignorance on the subject to some extent when he published research into 18^th century chandelier maker, William Parker.

By the time Martin Mortimer joined the company the situation had improved considerably. However, he further improved methods of restoring chandeliers including ensuring replacement parts were historically accurate, wherever possible.

Over 20 years later Mortimer and Perret agreed that a book on chandeliers was overdue and so, in 1970, approached the Keeper of the Department of Ceramics at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Robert J. Charleston, with the idea of joint authorship and he agreed. But time for the work was hard to find and so it was not until 1994 that Martin Mortimer completed the bulk of the book. He gave the draft to Robert Charleston who sadly died soon after he had made corrections and amendments to the manuscript.

This book is the author’s personal memorial to Robert Charleston and covers the evolution of the English glass chandelier from the late 17^th to the end of the 19^th centuries. It examines design and technique, hanging attribution and dating of a few examples where this is possible. The author also details the process of restoration, structural overhaul and problems incurred with missing or wrongly replaced parts.

Quick Facts

Return to Home Page