Stock No: 15933

An ornate parcel gilt bronze colza chandelier and a pair of matching wall lights. The set is playful in style, with a tied ribbon at the very top of the chandelier, from which the central stem hangs. This is mounted with three bronze frolicking putti. The chandelier has three branches, from which emanate three stems, there are 9 bulbs in total.
The accompanying wall lights also feature putti sitting between the two branches hung from tied ribbons.

English, early 20th century.

The colza lamp was developed by the Swiss physicist Ami Argand around 1770 but was patented in England through Argand’s business partner, Matthew Boulton. The patent lapsed due to an oversight on Boulton's part and so the technology became freely available and was widely adopted by British makers. This kind of gravity fed lamp, running on thick viscose colza oil (which can be distinguished from other modes of lamp by its raised central reservoir), remained popular in Britain until being superseded by more efficient paraffin oil lamps and gas lighting in the mid-19th century.

View our collection of: Antique chandeliers.