When you are lucky enough to be attending an event in a ballroom, the first thing you may notice when you walk in is the elegant, ornate chandeliers. Chandeliers in ballrooms come in all different shapes, sizes, and looks but one thing is for sure, they are gorgeous.
A chandelier is a fixture that hangs from the ceiling and is usually much heavier than regular ceiling light fixtures. They are usually very elaborate and contain many lamps within the chandelier to give off a large amount of light. Some of the larger ones found in ballrooms need special attachments so that they are properly supported from the ceiling.
Some of the first ballrooms that used chandeliers were usually found in medieval churches and abbeys and generally were made up of wooden cross with a number of spikes that could be used for candles. It was usually supported by a hoist that could raise and lower the chandelier to light the candles. From the 15th century more complex chandeliers showed up in ballrooms of the rich based on a ring or crown form of chandelier. Society was basically competing with each other to hold the grandest ball and the size and beauty of your chandelier was actually a status symbol among the wealthy.
By the 18th century ornate brass forms with long curved arms and many candles started to make their way into hotels and smaller ballrooms around the world. Nowadays chandeliers have become more of a focal point, and not so much of a lighting source.
December 14th, 2006 by Webmaster
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