Twenty-four-light chandelier (lustre) (one of a pair) ca. 1790 French Numerous entries in the account book for the period 1748-58 of the marchand-mercier Lazare Duvaux show that he not only sold, shipped, and installed chandeliers but also took them apart for cleaning or repairs and reassembled them afterward. At times Duvaux would also provide crystal drops, finials, and globes to replace missing ones or mend those that were broken. This may explain why the late eighteenth-century frames of this magnificent pair of chandeliers incorporate earlier crystal pendants in their design. Arranged in three tiers, ropetwisted candle arms alternate with inward-scrolling branches decorated with acanthus leaves, stylized seedpods, and crystal finials. The elaborate model further includes gilt-bronze chains with crystal beads as well as a profusion of crystal drops and balls raining down from the umbrella-shaped row of arms near the top and from the multiple branches below. The splendid impression