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Chandelier

Gérard Jean Galleabout 1818-1819

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

A hot-air balloon inspired the design of this fanciful chandelier with its blue globe strewn with stars above a glass bowl. The twelve signs of the zodiac wrap around the globe on a gilt-bronze band. The maker, Gérard Jean Galle, fitted the bowl with a plug and explained that it could hold water and small goldfish, “whose continuous movement will give agreeable recreation to the eye.” When he exhibited a chandelier of this design in 1819, Galle described it as a lustre à poisson (fish chandelier).

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  • Title: Chandelier
  • Creator: Gérard Jean Galle
  • Date Created: about 1818-1819
The J. Paul Getty Museum

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