Pair of Girandoles

Drops of rock crystal or glass were often included in lighting fixtures because they multiplied and fragmented the candlelight. At the court of Louis XIV at Versailles, candelabra were often placed on tall stands to throw the light farther around the room. A Parisian newspaper, the Mercure Galant, reported in 1677 about people's astonishment at the amount of light created as the candle flames reflected off the crystal.