A private client in Chiswick asked us to clean a bag light chandelier hanging in the principal reception room. The piece had not been attended to for several years and the cut crystal had taken on an even film of dust, softening its refraction.
The Piece
A bag light chandelier of nineteenth-century character, formed of cascading strands of cut crystal beads and drops hanging from the canopy to the receiver to produce the rounded, gathered silhouette typical of the form. Construction is intricate, with each strand individually wired.
Work Carried Out
- Full protection of floors, furniture and adjacent finishes
- Erection of appropriate access equipment within the room
- Hand cleaning of every strand, drop and bead in position
- Attention to the canopy and receiver using methods appropriate to the original surface
- Reseating of any drops that had worked loose over time
- Electrical inspection and final test on completion
Approach
Owing to the intricacy of the dressing, the chandelier was cleaned entirely in place rather than dismantled. Each strand was treated individually from canopy to receiver, leaving the original arrangement and wiring undisturbed. Work was carried out unhurriedly to allow proper attention to every component.
Outcome
The chandelier was returned to a uniform clarity throughout, with the cut crystal once again carrying light across the room. The original canopy, receiver and wiring were left intact, and the piece remains in its long-standing position. Comparable in-situ cleaning work on nineteenth-century pieces has been carried out in Mayfair and Holland Park, and on a 1950s Czech crystal chandelier in Putney.
