Shine on, you crazy diamond.

Hello my friends,

Those of you who know  the  music of Pink Floyd will undoubtedly recognise this song title. When I was working on this chandelier this song came by on the radio. Later I changed the radio network I was listening to and half an hour later the same song was played! I saw that as a 'sign' to use it as the title for this post. Not that diamonds are used here. Just glass beads.

I bought this chandelier a while back second hand. The price was good. But after a little while I regretted the purchase somewhat. Nothing wring with it. The lights work and the quality of the brass is  good. But I do not like the model of the central axis.

But what to do with it? Sell it? Throw it away? Put it in a box or drawer and forget it? I did the last, dear reader. But I did not forget it. A year ago I saw a great crystal adorned chandelier on the stand of Nalladris in Arnhem. It was a brass chandelier on which they had added crystals to enhance it. 

That gave me the idea for this chandelier. Nalladris does not give a workshop on 'crystalizing' chandeliers. But Sun of Nalladris offered me to come up to them with the chandelier. Then she would show me how she does it. I could practice on my chandelier and acquire all the beads and materials needed to 'crystalise' my chandelier.

I got this far on a very fun day with Sun in her atelier. I have learned quite a few things from her and am very grateful for that. However it was only half finished.

Before the 2nd half of the 19th century and the advent of gas lights and electricity. Candle lighting was expensive. Chandeliers, even small ones simply were not used in secondary rooms. Even in the grandest of houses. The upper floors of country houses were seldomly lit up. When going to bed people in a grand house one took a lit candle  up to their bedroom. Until the advent of electric lighting large parts of those houses remained dark from dusk till dawn. Up and into 1806 chandeliers were mainly/only used in reception rooms like the diningroom, the salon, and the ballrooom. The rooms that were meant to look imposing and impressive. In secondary rooms candlesticks and wall sconces were the only light source, apart from the fireplace if a fire was lit.

So dollshouse with period interiors and glaring chandeliers up and into the coridors? Beautiful and impressive in most cases but not historically correct. However that should not stop any miniaturist using them where they want, but me! 

Back at home the project lay dormant for a while. I did not have a good stand to hang it from while working on it. When I found one on Amazon and ordered it, it was time to work on the chandelier again. 

The technique is quite simple. It is in fact not much more than stringing faceted glass beads in the right order and attach these strings in the right places. At the end of the first day I had finished garlands between all 16 candle holders. In the middle of each garland hangs a pendant consisting of a pear shaped bead, a round bead, and a thin floral brass bead on a thin brass coloured needle.

Next I hung similar pendants, only having 2 more round glass beads directly from the candle holders. Then I stringed beads ranging from small to larger between the arms of the chandelier. Starting from a lower arm to an upper arm and back to a lower arm. And so on, and so on. 

After that had finished, the chandelier was quite staurated with crystal garlands and oendants. And the bottom of the chandelier has the biggest tear dropped crystal. I am really pleased with the result. 

Now it is time for that all to familiar adage. "Now I only have to build the room this chandelier will go in."

Well, that is it for now. See you next time!

Huibrecht 

Fire dogs or andirons? A DHN magazine article

Hello my friends,

This post is about Andirons. Also called fire dogs. They are the precursor for the firebaskets and grates that most modern fireplaces have since the end of the 18th century. These a dirons have two functons in a hearth. The horizontal bars help raise the fire off the floor. Thus improving airflow feeding the fire. Secondly the raised horizontal piece helps to stop burning logs rolling out of the fireplace. 

The rooms that I make for Huis ter Swinnendael will feature no less than 10 fireplaces and roughly the same number of pairs of firedogs.this gives the opportunity to make a some pairs in different styles while using all sort of materials.

For the article I made three pairs of andirons. The first is in a simple ballustre style that, in different forms, have been made from early renaissance into the Queen Anne period. And let us not forget the reincarnations of the late 19th century and early 20th century reproductions. 

All that is used is a pair of mini ballustres, a pair of finials, a popsicle stick and some black and gold paint. The finial can be replaced by a round bead or a pinecone shaped bead or something like that. All these shapes were customary at one point. From the popsicle stick the horizontal bar and the front foot of each firedog is cut out. 

And then it is simply a matter of gluing the pieces together and painting them. The vertical front is painted gold to mimic brass. But for a more modest interior it can just as easily be painted black to mimic cast iron.

But there is so much more possible. I think that most, if not every miniaturist, have some of those small resin or plastic vases lying around. I think these are half scale. I have seen these painted gold or teracotta ón the mantle shelf corners. Either filled with miniature plants or on either side of a clock as a garniture. Good ideas. But why not place them ínside the fireplace as andirons?

These louis XVI style andirons are cobbled togethervfrom simple pieces. The horizontal bars are cut from a popsicle stick. The front bars are pieces of a miniature picture frame. The round drums under the vases are beads. And the small blocks with the turned decorations are the sawn off tops of miniature spindles. All run of the mill items. Put together the produce fine andirons to help decorate a fireplace. 

The third pair are different grom the first two. If you follow this blog, dear reader, you may recognise the merman and mermaid andirons I showed you all on this blog before. You can read the post on how to make them here.

Still. All you need here is a pair of metal stampings or another pair of (plastic, resin, wood, plaster) ornaments of the right size and a popsicle stick for the horizontal bar at the back. You have a lot of freedom to chose what you like. Just make sure it fits in the style of the intended room. 

Huibrecht.