Furniture of the air - The crystal chandelier in Europe

Format: 26.5 x 21.5 cm
396 pages, numerous Fig.
Hardcover with protective cover. and bookmarks
ISBN: 978-3-99028-881-8

Translated and edited by Peter Rath.
The publication is based on the materials (prints, maps, photographs, text, etc.) from the Joseph Holey estate.
Book design: Christina Leyerer

The chandelier, once the most valuable art object in the room, has become such a natural part of European glass and cultural history that it has not yet been adequately dealt with in art history, museums and monument offices.
Peter Rath, certified master craftsman and partner in the Viennese glass and chandelier company J. & L. LOBMEYR, gives a comprehensive introduction to the development and production of the chandelier frame, the early rock crystal, the glass hangings and the various light sources. In addition to countless pictures, tables and maps, it also provides information on cleaning, renovating and transporting a valuable object.
The main part describes the almost unpublished history of the crystal chandelier in the Habsburg Empire based on a rich collection of material by Josef Holey (1899–1984). As an introduction, an overview of the entire European history of chandeliers up to our modern age introduces the topic. Finally, there is an outlook into the possible future of cultivated, representative lighting.
As a tool, not just as an otherwise beautiful picture book , a reference work for art historians, for the antique trade, for chandelier makers, architects and students, with the intention of stimulating further scientific research on the art and task of crystal chandeliers.