The chandelier is one of the most decorative lighting devices there is. Although it was originally designed in wood, for several centuries metal has been preferred for its manufacture.
Do you have a bronze chandelier in your home and would like to know what its starting price should be at auction?
Discover all our advice in this article.
The importance of verifying the existence of a signature
Like any art object, chandeliers were delivered by their creators without signature until the end of the Renaissance. Let us recognize that at the time, they were still all made of wood.
After the first official art exhibitions were held during the 18th century, however, the affixing of a signature to works became commonplace. And bronze chandeliers , which were in their golden age, were no exception.
So, if the model in your living room or dining room does not have a signature, you can doubt its authenticity . And when it is not authentic, you cannot even hope for its eligibility for auction, whether in Paris, Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, Bordeaux or Rouen.
Initially, the act of affixing a signature or monogram to their work was only a means for artists to construct their identity. The signature or monogram was sometimes accompanied by one of the following mentions: fecit, faciebat, pinxit, delineavit or invenit.
It was not until the 19th century that it became a fundamental element for the appreciation of furniture or other objects of art such as the antique bronze chandelier .
However, the signature alone is not a determining factor in judging whether a work is authentic or not. Indeed, throughout history, malicious people did not hesitate to imitate the signature of great artists in the hope of profiting from works that cannot even be described as antiques.
Fortunately, experts and auctioneers have the experience needed to judge the authenticity of the signature on a Louis XVI Directoire chandelier or any other object of art.
Other criteria to base
These experts do not therefore only rely on the signature to estimate your bronze chandelier after you have made a request to this effect. They will also take into account 3 other important criteria:
- The dimensions of the antique bronze chandelier : the starting price in the auction room will obviously not be the same between a chandelier of only 30 cm in diameter and one of 60 cm in diameter.
- Description: When you go through a free appraisal site, you will have to specify the means by which you acquired your chandelier (purchase at auction, from an antique dealer, inheritance, gift, etc.) and the existence of previous appraisals, among other information.
- The photo: it could be that the distance between you and the estimating agency is several tens, or even hundreds, of kilometers. Because the estimate should be as realistic as possible, you will have to send them several photos from several angles (front, wide shot, etc.) of the work. The signature must appear there in particular.
The process of obtaining an estimate from an expert
You will therefore not have to send your Baccarat crystal bronze chandelier to be able to obtain an estimate of its price . You will only be able to send these photos and all the elements concerning it so that the experts in antiques and art objects can begin their evaluation.
They will start by looking to see if there have been any similar products that have already appeared in the auction house's sales catalog. If there are, the estimate will not take much time .
Otherwise, you will have to wait 48 or 72 hours to get an email for a first free estimate. This is the time needed for them to analyze all the elements that have been sent to them.
If the value meets your expectations, you can contact the appraisal agency to find out whether or not a visual appraisal is necessary. Afterwards, an auction house will be recommended to you, after consultation with an auctioneer.
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