Chandelier

Louiseville?, Quebec; ca 1790 1820; height: 116.8 cm. CMC A-2681

The elegant sculpting and gilding suggest that precious metals were used to create this chandelier. This is not the case, however. In the late eighteenth century, the period from which this chandelier dates, there was very little metal to work with in French Canada. Therefore, wood, a material in great supply, was used.

The only metal used in this chandelier is in the "S" curve arms. The wood was carved in a highly decorative fashion, often incorporating such motifs as acanthus leaves. Because of its height, this chandelier could have hung only in a large house or a church where the ceilings are high. It is believed that the piece originated in a church in Louiseville, Quebec.