Old(ish) Italian Chandelier?

June 26, 2006 6:59 PM

AskMe Antique Roadshow: School me to the history of this chandelier.

It's in the dining room of the house that the SO and I moved in to two months ago. The word from the landlord (who has owned the house for ~ 10 years) is that it's an Italian piece from the early to mid 20th Century, and that it, more than likely, had bulbs around the lights.

Further information: the house, which is in Dallas, (Hollywood Heights, for the locals) was built in the 1920's, and everything is original save the bathroom and kitchen countertops. Further details of the chandelier can be seen here and here.

Does anyone know of an artist or movement or company that this would've been made by? How would it have found it's way to Dallas? Not that I could sell it (unless it's worth a lot more than my deposit*) does anyone know the valuation of such a piece?

*joking, unless we're talking six digits.

posted by Ufez Jones to grab bag (4 comments total)

It does look like some of its globes are missing; bare bulbs aren't consistent with the rest of it.

Italian glass chandeliers were in vogue in the 30s.
posted by Miko at 7:06 PM on June 26, 2006

It does look like some of its globes are missing; bare bulbs aren't consistent with the rest of it.

There aren't any globes around the bulbs. The landlord (who is an interior designer) just assumed, as would anyone, that it had globes initially.
posted by Ufez Jones at 7:35 PM on June 26, 2006

I'm sorry but it looks like something cheap and not too old that is trying for a rustic/peasant look. Maybe Italian, maybe Mexican, maybe manufactured in the near or far east.

The wrought iron is rather heavy, overworked, but the workmanship is not good.

If you look at the painting detail, you can see that the red lines are not too straight, and the "flower" in the middle is very slap dash. It must have taken the underpaid assembly line painter all of 4 seconds top paint that flower.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 8:55 PM on June 26, 2006

I don't think it would have had globes around the lights. If you look at the bulb holders, you'll see that they're shaped to look like dripping candles - it should have bulbs like the one on the far left, that try to look like candle flames.

I can't help any further than that, I'm afraid.
posted by crabintheocean at 9:05 PM on June 26, 2006