Girandole

girandole, elaborate wall bracket incorporating one or more candleholders and frequently a mirror to reflect the light. An object of luxury, it was usually embellished with carving and gilding. Although the name is Italian in origin, girandoles reached the greatest heights of fashion (in the second half of the 18th century) in France and England. At the beginning of this period they represented the most exuberant expression of the Rococo.

The English cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale illustrated examples in the Gothic and Chinese taste in The Gentleman and Cabinet-maker’s Director in 1754. Ruined arches, Chinese temples and pagodas, Greek columns, scrolls, fountains, waterfalls, foliage, and animals were popular motifs. More restrained and delicate designs were used during the Neoclassical revival of the late 18th century.