Bronze Eight Light Argand Chandelier

A fine and rare eight branch bronze Argand chandelier c1820. We have never seen an eight branch Argand before and the quality of this is sensational. The casting of the base with its masks and acanthus leaves is superb, as is the thick linked chain. The piece also has its original reservoir which adds to the impact of this very sculptural chandelier.

The Argand lamp was invented and patented in 1780 by Aimé Argand. 

The Argand lamp quickly displaced all other varieties of oil lamps and was manufactured in a great variety of decorative forms. They were more costly than the primitive oil lamps of former times because of their increased complexity, so they were adopted first by the well-to-do, but soon spread to the middle class and eventually the less well-off as well. It was the lamp of choice until about 1850 when kerosene lamps were introduced. Kerosene was cheaper than vegetable oil, it produced a whiter flame and as a liquid of low viscosity, it could easily travel up a wick eliminating the need for complicated mechanisms to feed the fuel to the burner.

A disadvantage of the original Argand arrangement was that the oil reservoir needed to be above the level of the burner because the heavy, sticky vegetable oil or whale oil would not rise far up the wick.

The lamp has been converted to electricity and is wired for use in Australia.

Dimensions:

115 cm drop x 85 cm wide