The chandelier in the Cinnamon Drawing Room is one of the room’s most striking features, but it had been some time since it last received a thorough clean. In this blog, our Curator and Archivist Rebecca Burton and Senior Collections and Conservation Officer Samantha Harwood share their research and their experience caring for this remarkable piece.

Researching the Cinnamon Drawing Room Chandelier

I love this time of year. It gives us the chance to get up close to objects that are not always easily accessible and provides the perfect excuse to look at familiar things with fresh eyes.

The cut-glass chandelier in the Cinnamon Drawing Room has historically been dated to the Regency period, around 1825. However, I have felt unsure about this date for some time. Stylistically, it seems closer to a classic late 18th-century design, around 1790, similar to those produced by the prominent chandelier maker William Parker.

Regency vs Late 18th-century Design

Regency chandeliers often follow a distinctive ‘tent and bag’ design, with cascading chains of glass drops attached to a central metal frame.

Late 18th-century designs, like the Harewood example, are quite different. They typically feature a cut-glass stem with a vase-like form, framed by canopies above and below. Two sets of cut-glass arms help reflect the flickering candlelight. Chains of glass drops are usually draped between the arms and suspended from the canopies, creating an elegant layered effect.

Despite this, dating objects purely by stylistic analysis is always challenging. Without archival documentation, it is always possible that an object was made later but designed in an earlier style.

Looking More Closely

This is where examining an object more closely becomes invaluable. Details of construction can often provide important clues about when it was made.

In this case, the finial hook at the base of the stem piece is constructed using a technique specific to mounting methods used between 1780 and 1800. The design of the candle nozzles and removable drip pans also aligns with late 18th-century examples. Ironically, they are decorated with a ‘Vandyck border‘, named after the pointed lace collars worn by the sitters of the 17th-century artist Anthony van Dyck.

The arms themselves provide further evidence. They are plain, without decorative notches, and cut with six sides. This design feature was introduced between 1790 and 1800.

Mystery Solved?

Well, almost.

Based on this evidence, we can say with reasonable confidence that the chandelier dates from around 1790 to 1800. However, one thing we still do not know is its maker – the piece does not appear to carry a maker’s mark, although its design is similar to those produced by Parker.

The story becomes even more complex when we look at Harewood’s earliest guidebook from 1819. At that time, the only centrally hung chandelier recorded in the house was the one in the Music Room, described as having twelve burners. This differs from the Cinnamon Drawing Room chandelier, which has ten.

In fact, the first documentary reference to the Cinnamon Drawing Room chandelier at Harewood appears much later. In January 1930, Princess Mary wrote to her mother that she and her husband had had “a very pretty chandelier put together and hung” in the Cinnamon Drawing Room, which was then known as the Green Drawing Room.