Friday, January 19, 2007
In the glory days of Caesar and of Napoleon, empire-building went hand-in-hand with the building of magnificent residences.

Empire styling in crystal chandeliers has been popular since the late eighteenth century. These designs are generally pear-shaped with long chains of crystal octagons from crown to gallery.

The simple and sensuous lines of an Empire style crystal chandelier works equally well in contemporary spaces or formal rooms of ornate character.

And because the great conquerors were great collectors, Empire crystal chandeliers are particularly at home in settings full of art objects.

Schonbek offers a rich portfolio of Empire-style crystal chandeliers. Camelot, for example, is pure Empire. Schonbek’s rendition of La Scala with Empire styling has the Empire profile as well as showing a baroque influence. And there are two new Schonbek crystal chandeliers, Trilliane and Tiara, that might be called a whimsical take on Empire.

These are just a few of the crystal chandelier designs in Schonbek’s Empire collection. If you’re thinking Empire, a trip to a large lighting showroom that carries Schonbek is essential, so you can see the full magnificence of these pieces.  

Thursday, January 18, 2007

When Schonbek first introduced rock crystal chandeliers a few short years ago, people had very little notion of what rock crystal was. Museum curators knew, and sophisticated collectors knew, but that was it. I didn’t know either, so I gathered together a lot of rock crystal lore to help me write copy. There’s been tons written about rock crystal, though not so much about rock crystal chandeliers. This is curious, since the earliest crystal chandeliers displayed rock crystal, and you can see antique rock crystal chandeliers in major museums.

Anyway, the Schonbek explorer turned out to be my best source of information. (This is the adventurous person who went bushwhacking in remote areas of the world to find a source of gem-quality rock crystal for Schonbek.)

One image stays with me. In ancient Rome, patricians would keep a big sphere of rock crystal around to cool their hands in hot weather. This makes sense because rock crystal has the amazing quality of being cool to the touch in any weather. I often invite guests to handle the rock crystal on my Tesoro wall sconce, so they can feel the mysterious coolness for themselves. (I’m left with a lot of fingerprints on the rock crystal pendants, but I can’t resist demonstrating this geological marvel.)

I always think of those ancient Romans when I look at Vendome. There’s an enormous sphere of solid rock crystal at the heart of this crystal chandelier. This beautifully handcut and polished sphere could stand alone as a highly desirable collectible. Centuries ago, it was the kind of thing a monarch would’ve snapped up for his curiosity cabinet, happy to deplete the royal coffers for such a treasure.

So in a sense, Vendome is more than a crystal chandelier. It’s a vehicle for exhibiting a rare rock crystal art object, while being itself a work of art.

Vendome qualifies as a contemporary crystal chandelier because of its sleek design. But I find it has a timeless quality too. The way it manifests, as art object within art object, reminds me of a play within a play. Artists have had fun with this kind of symbology since ancient times, as well as into modern times.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007
A journalist just called to ask us if Schonbek makes any crystal chandeliers with faceted crystal ball trimmings. I got the impression that she saw this as a hot new look.

The fact is, Schonbek makes the most beautiful chandelier of all displaying faceted crystal balls: Contessa. And it’s a Schonbek classic.

This crystal chandelier is timeless rather than trendy. It’s heavily laden with exceedingly prismatic crystal, either Strass® or Gemcut®, as you wish. The streamlined Empire styling combined with a whimsical filigree frame results in a highly original look.

Schonbek considers this crystal chandelier a contemporary design. But it demands a luxurious setting, I would think, with such a plethora of dazzling crystal. Contessa emanates a wonderful aura of energy that you feel instantly in its presence.

The profile of this crystal chandelier is unique. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

If faceted crystal balls are in right now, or about to be, and you want the look, you can’t do better than Contessa.