Category: Museum

The History of the Chandelier

Meaning ‘candle holder’, the word chandelier originates from the French word ‘chandelle’ (a fixture attached to the ceiling).  The Chandelier is the most stylish and beautiful form of lighting in the world, making a statement in any room.

The earliest chandelier dates back to over 1000 years ago, to medieval times. Then, chandeliers were generally made of wood, with candles placed on spikes set around them – a far cry from the stunning glass and crystal creations we know and love today.  Wooden lighting fixtures and exposed flames would send the health and safety conscious of us completely mad!

Gradually, rich Europeans re-designed the chandelier and by the early 1900’s crystal chandeliers with candles were all the rage. Crystal chandeliers made from cut glass which caught the light and sparkled brightly adorned the homes of the wealthy and famous, showing off their wealth and social status.

By the mid-19^th century, with the popularity of gas lighting, candle chandeliers were converted and by the 1890s, most chandeliers used a combination of gas and electricity.

The largest chandeliers in history

One of the most beautiful chandeliers in the world can be seen in Istanbul. Gifted to the Dolmabahce Palace by Queen Victoria, the chandelier weighs 4.5 tons and has 750 lamps. Other stunning examples of crystal chandeliers can be seen in the ‘Grand Salon’ of the Louvre and the Hall of Mirrors, in the Palace of Versailles, Paris, which contains 17 large and 26 small chandeliers, holding up to 1,000 candles in total, as well as in Prague, where many of the art nouveau buildings contain beautiful examples of chandeliers from the early 1900s.

Today, chandeliers have become glass art in museums across the globe. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a stunning example of a blown glass chandelier in the entrance hall. Created by glass artist Dale Chihuly in 2000, the 30ft chandelier is a breathtaking sight for visitors entering the museum.

The Corning Museum of Glass in New York contains more than 40,000 objects made from glass, dating from Egyptian times to the present day. Antique bowls, sculptures and glass portraits sit alongside contemporary sculptures and of course some amazing chandeliers, including the Erbium Chandelier, a vivid pink blown glass chandelier created in 1993 by Dale Chihuly.

Today, chandeliers have become more affordable for everyone. It is still lovely to have a unique and bespoke chandelier hand crafted by local glass artists, but it is also possible to find more budget friendly versions on the internet and in various home furnishing shops.  The chandelier has evolved from its simplest wooden designs to incorporate a wide variety of materials in its more modern reincarnation.  Furthermore, chandelier designs have also been adapted to suit those looking more for a piece of modern art than necessary lighting.  Chandelier designers such as Rocco Borghese have collections that show the stark difference between classic designs and more contemporary .

Modern Chandeliers.

Chandeliers have a rich history and are making a resurgence in modern times.  There is a huge variety of sizes and styles, and of course price right from the affordable ones in larger retailers to custom made chandeliers by boutique experts.

A must-see in Cairo  “Egypt”, is undoubtedly the Egyptian Museum, is required at least one day to see the entire collection of objects of the Pharaonic era, it houses the largest collection of objects Pharaonic times.

The museum is located north of Midan Tahrir in Tahrir Square, once you arrive at the entrance to force you to leave cameras and phones, it is forbidden to take pictures inside. The museum is impressively large and part of the entrance is a sitting area so you can spend some time sitting in the sun and also shops to buy souvenirs, books, coins ..

At the entrance of the museum you find a lot of guides that you can hire for 30 €, eye many of them are not official guides and are rather scammers. I only had three hours to see the museum, having read so much information I went to what really struck me as the room dedicated to Tutankhamen W where I could see the golden mask and all that was in Great Treasure his tomb in the Valley of the Kings W .

On the first floor there is a large collection of coins and papyrus, which is preserved in the museum are works of art, but not all can be seen as being restored many others and some no room to display them.

Another room I recommend is the area of the Old Kingdomvery well because the background can appreciate the seated statue of Mentuhotep I W .

A room that is very curious is where are the eleven Mummies, where the Ramses III and IV among many others, to get into it you have to pay some extra Egyptian pounds as it is not included in the price of the museum entrance. If you want to see mummies and do not want to pay the entrance, you can see in another room of several animal mummies.

Museum hours are from 9:00 to 6:30 every day, entry is allowed until 5:00 pm, mummies halls close at 6:00.

The Museo del Prado is not only an essential references of Spanish culture is nurtured and excellent representation of human artistic production. The Centro Virtual Cervantes comes from this section, funds that houses the gallery Madrid, through various thematic selections of his painting.

Information about the Prado

Located in the city center of Madrid, the Prado Museum in itself, since 1819, the core of a broad artistic scope, covering the works of masters from around the world. The museum is divided into two sites very close to each other: the Villanueva Building (the most representative), located in the Paseo del Prado, and the Cason del Buen Retiro. In October 2019 we opened an extension of the museum that features the cloister of the neighboring church of Jeronimos.

In the different rooms, the museum visitor can find not only exceptional examples of the paintings by Spanish (Goya, Velázquez, Zurbarán …), but also works of great masters of other schools (Titian, Rubens and Bosch, for example), as well as samples of high quality sculptures and other art.