Saturday, September 27, 2008
A Maria Theresa chandelier bears the name of one of the most powerful women in the history of western civilization. Empress Maria Theresa saved her country and her throne from the raids of other royals and instituted all sorts of financial and administrative reforms that transformed her empire into a modern state.

While supervising wars and getting the empire into shape, Maria Theresa had sixteen children. She was indeed an example to working mothers everywhere!

The crystal chandelier named after Maria Theresa shares her strong character and might be a symbol of the complexities of her reign.

A Maria Theresa chandelier achieves the look of a glass-arm chandelier with a metal frame. The flat frame elements are clad on either side with crystal pieces that precisely mirror their shape, so that the frame appears to be made of crystal. These crystal pieces are called listels. Dainty crystal rosettes conceal the joints of the elaborate frame elements.

As befits a chandelier named after a woman, a Maria Theresa chandelier is curvaceous and feminine. In elongated configurations it has something of an hourglass figure.

Many manufacturers have produced Maria Theresa chandeliers since they first appeared in the eighteenth century, and the style has often suffered at their hands. Because the basic style is so complex, even convoluted, it can easily be overdone. Schonbek’s rendition of the Maria Theresa chandelier goes back to the original inspiration and reveals rather than conceals its very interesting structure.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008
If you’re prone to wake up in the night, a crystal chandelier on a dimmer can be very soothing.

There you are, lying in bed at 3am wide awake, replaying a conversation with your boss, eyes fully open. You can’t take a bright light, but the gentle shimmer of prismatic light from a dimmed-down crystal chandelier would very nicely dispel the gloom of insomnia. And your spouse could probably sleep through it.

If your bedroom is a modest size, a mini-chandelier might be just the thing. Renaissance is a favorite of mine – quite personable in a tiny size, with its oversized faceted crystal drops.

A spacious bedroom will of course demand a large crystal chandelier. I always think of the bedroom on this website with a majestic La Scala. This chandelier is heavily laden with crystal in a variety of historic shapes. There’s so much crystal, in fact, you might not even have to switch on the light to see subtle prismatic effects. Even a little moonlight peeping through a curtain will ignite the crystal.

Middle- of-the-night dialogs with the ghosts from your day can be very difficult to break off, no matter how you long for rest.

So you watch the light dance off the crystal ornaments on your Schonbek chandelier, and you shift your thoughts to something spacious and abstract, like the night sky filled with glittering stars. Perhaps the finial crystal sphere on your chandelier reminds you of a luminous full moon. The moon is a delightful image to ponder, as poets have always known. And after a while the voices of the day fade, you close your eyes, and you’re back in the land of dreams.

In any case, it’s worth a try.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008
A baby begins to catch a ball at about the same time he starts noticing the sparkle of a crystal chandelier overhead. Or at least, this was my observation of a 7 month old yesterday.

The reaction to movement and to crystal seems to be hardwired. In the case of the moving ball, it’s probably the survival instinct, since you have to be able to counter objects moving fast in your direction. In the case of the fiery light of crystal, perhaps it’s also survival: the instinct that pulls you towards a warm campfire and makes you run from a burning building. But it’s something else as well: the inborn attraction to beauty.

To survive, it’s also important to be content. Contemplating things of beauty fills us with energy and happiness – and expands our observation beyond mundane practicalities. We see farther and deeper, we feel better, all from focusing on something artistic. And happiness, as we know, releases all sorts of healthy chemicals in our bodies. Fun is good for us.

So the obvious conclusion is that your home should be as lovely as possible, as well as having a solid roof and so forth. A crystal chandelier with its joyous play of light will contribute to your well being in many ways.

My choice of the day for a delight-giving crystal chandelier is Isabelle – with its exuberant crystal rope scrolls, profusion of shimmering crystal ornaments and wonderfully ornate castings.