Six-branch chandelier ca. 1580–1600 German, Augsburg Made in glimmering gilded bronze, this dynamic six-branched chandelier is more than it seems; the hexagonal sphere is hinged, and can be opened for the placement of incense or scented oil. Once lit, the scent emanating from these fragrant materials would have escaped through the ball’s openwork sides, and gently descended upon the room’s occupants to overwhelm their senses with its heady perfume. Paired with the light of the flickering flames reflecting in the smooth gilded bronze of the drip plates, the hazy, sweet-smelling smoke would have

Six-branch chandelier ca. 1580–1600 German, Augsburg Made in glimmering gilded bronze, this dynamic six-branched chandelier is more than it seems; the hexagonal sphere is hinged, and can be opened for the placement of incense or scented oil. Once lit, the scent emanating from these fragrant materials would have escaped through the ball’s openwork sides, and gently descended upon the room’s occupants to overwhelm their senses with its heady perfume. Paired with the light of the flickering flames reflecting in the smooth gilded bronze of the drip plates, the hazy, sweet-smelling smoke would have certainly created an impressive effect. The chandelier’s intimate scale suggests that it was placed in a private residence, where incense and fragranced oils were used to stimulate entertainments and to cleanse the air of harmful vapors. No comparable chandeliers combining a lighting fixture and incense or scented oil burner survive from this period, and the style of the piece has more in common with the work of Augsburg goldsmiths and metalworkers than with any other contemporary Six-branch chandelier. German, Augsburg. ca. 1580–1600. Gilded bronze. Metalwork-Gilt Bronze

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