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[Chandelier]

1850s
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
The flickering flames of candles, lamps, and fires were too dim and ephemeral to be captured in early photographs. For this study, Nègre, a former painter and printmaker, photographed a modest brass chandelier in broad daylight against a black backdrop. He then painted on the negative a solid bright flame with a slight aureole of illumination floating above each candlewick.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: [Chandelier]
  • Artist: Charles Nègre (French, 1820–1880)
  • Date: 1850s
  • Medium: Salted paper print from glass negative
  • Dimensions: Image: 30.9 x 23.1 cm (12 3/16 x 9 1/8 in.)
    Frame: 60.3 x 50.8 cm (23 3/4 x 20 in.)
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Collection of Clifford Ross
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

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