The process of Westernisation within the Ottoman Empire that accelerated in the latter half of the nineteenth century impacted not only state institutions but also social life, influencing the interior design of buildings constructed in the European style. Among the most luxurious decorative elements, lighting fixtures were particularly affected by the intensified commercial relations with France and England. Products were sourced from crystal manufacturers in these countries, and new designs were made reflecting the styles they popularised. Documents and sketches preserved in the COA Ottoman State Archives suggest that many crystal chandeliers in the Dolmabahçe and Beylerbeyi palaces may have been commissioned from the renowned French Baccarat Crystal Factory under Sultan Abdülaziz (reign 1861-1876). While these chandeliers generally lack seals or signatures indicating their origin, many coloured crystal examples have been found to bear the inscription ‘BACCARAT’. The opulent Baccarat chandeliers, which garnered attention and won numerous awards at the 1867 International Exhibition in Paris – to which Sultan Abdülaziz was invited as Emperor Napoleon III’s guest of honour – became symbols of power and wealth in both European and Ottoman palaces.
This chandelier in the SSM Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection, located in the Entrance Hall of the Atlı Köşk, is a more elaborate version of the piece in the Blue Room (inv. no. 400-0065). Both chandeliers, featuring red and green crystal decorations, closely resemble the Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the Fountain Hall of the Beylerbeyi Palace. The cables later added to the branches suggest that the chandelier, originally designed for candlelight in the nineteenth century, was subsequently adapted for electric lighting.
The three-tiered chandelier's main plate consists of cut crystal rods radiating outwards from the center. From the plate, edged with floral designs, thirty-two gracefully curved arms with faceted surfaces rise. At the end of each arm is a red, tulip-shaped candlestick holder outlined in gold, accompanied by a small white dish adorned with leaf motifs. The edges of the dishes are surrounded by drop-shaped crystal pendants that enhance the chandelier’s illumination. Crystal shades with scalloped edges and incised vegetal patterns crown the candlestick holders. Each arm also supports a pendant in the form of a tulip, decorated with gold-bordered clover motifs on a white background. The inner surfaces of the pendants are green.
On the middle tier, sixteen crystal branches rise from a white bowl with scalloped edges, decorated with gold-bordered clover motifs. The stylized floral ornaments surrounding the plate on the lower tier are repeated around this bowl. The candleholders and small dishes at the ends of the branches are identical to those on the lower tier, though these do not feature tulip-shaped pendants. The upper tier of the chandelier features a smaller version of the bowl on the middle tier. Decorative horn-shaped branches rise from the bowl, with tulip-shaped pendants adorned with green clovers hanging from their ends. The chandelier is crowned with a finial composed of radiating cut crystal rods.
