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Bronze Chandeliers in Latvia and Lithuania in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Manufacturing, Typology and Survival

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Valtaitė-Gagač A.

Makslas Vesture un Teorija

2023

vol. 27

6-21

Bronze chandeliers play an important role in the development history of European chandeliers. The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany were their production centres from the 15th century. A type of stem chandelier with a large polished sphere at the terminal that appeared in the 17th century was so popular that it spread to the farthest corners of Europe and remained popular in some places until the late 18th century. The historical written sources testify that in the 17th century, bronze chandeliers were dominant in Lithuania’s sacral and probably secular interiors. Regrettably, only a dozen examples have survived to the present day and this number is too low to draw objective conclusions about their style and development trends. During numerous expeditions to Latvian churches, public interiors and museums, around 53 valuable bronze chandeliers from the late 16th – 18th centuries have been found. Accordingly, the study aimed to systematise the data about the bronze chandeliers in the 17th and 18th centuries that have been preserved in Latvia, to provide insights into their development and stylistic features and, based on these data, to perform a theoretical reconstruction of chandeliers that have not survived in Lithuania. The article briefly reviews the cultural and historical context of Latvia and Lithuania, the nuances of the production of bronze lighting devices and mainly focuses on the insights into the features of Lithuanian and Latvian bronze chandeliers. Vilnius in Lithuania and Riga in Latvia were the most important crafts centers. However, very little is known about the masters who cast chandeliers in Lithuania. Unlike Vilnius, Riga was a much more important centre for craftsmen. As an important supplement to the article, a virtual and easily accessible catalogue of surviving bronze chandeliers in Latvia from the 16th to the 18th centuries (www.latvijaslustras.lv) has been created. Detailed photos and data about 53 most valuable bronze chandeliers in Latvia are published. Since 2017, a similar online catalogue (www.sietynupaveldas.lt) has been continuously updated in Lithuania, which also contains information about bronze chandeliers preserved in Lithuania.

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1 Makslas Vesture un Teorija

1 Valtaitė-Gagač A.

1 2023

Search results

Bronze Chandeliers in Latvia and Lithuania in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Manufacturing, Typology and Survival