In this feature, we hear from Jon Felz, expert appraiser and owner of RZM Fine Arts & Antiques, as he helps readers uncover the stories and value behind treasured family heirlooms and unexpected discoveries. Have an item you've always wondered about? Reach out to Jon for a chance to have it featured in a future Ask the Appraiser column.
Note to Appraiser
This very large chandelier has been in my family for generations, and we've always wondered about its history and potential value.
According to my late grandfather, he and his father were part of the demolition team that worked on the original Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in the late 1920s. As the story was passed down to me, the chandelier was going to be discarded during the demolition. My grandfather retrieved it from a pile outside the building and brought it home to Queens.
I've owned the chandelier since the early 1980s. It measures approximately 60 inches tall, is extremely heavy and is currently hanging from two iron beams in my garage.
We've always wondered whether the story connecting it to the Waldorf Astoria could be true. I'm also hoping you might be able to tell us more about who made it, approximately how old it is and what it could be worth today.
Thank you very much for your expertise. We always enjoy reading your column.
Nancy
Appraisal Response
Over the years, I've encountered more than a few grand light fixtures said to have come from the Titanic, the Waldorf Astoria or even the Rockefeller estate.
Stories like these certainly make an antique more intriguing, but when it comes to an appraisal, provenance must be supported by physical or documentary evidence.
The original Waldorf Astoria opened in the late 19th century and was demolished beginning in 1929 to make way for the Empire State Building. If your chandelier truly came from the hotel, its construction and original lighting system could provide important clues. Fixtures from this period were sometimes designed for gas illumination or later converted to electricity.
While I can't substantiate the Waldorf Astoria connection from the photographs alone, I can tell you that what you've inherited is impressive in its own right.
Your piece is a magnificent French gilt-bronze 21-light chandelier dating to the late 19th century.
The chandelier is exceptional in both scale and sculptural detail. Its expansive circular form is decorated with scrolling ornamentation, acanthus leaves and an etched glass bowl suspended within an elaborate pierced framework.
Perhaps its most striking features are the beautifully modeled mermaid figures holding candle branches. These sculptural elements give the chandelier a wonderful sense of movement and theatricality.
The quality of the bronze work, elaborate gilding and monumental proportions are characteristic of the extraordinary decorative arts being produced in Paris during the late 19th century. Leading bronziers of this period, including workshops such as Ferdinand Barbedienne, created similarly elaborate pieces that blurred the line between functional lighting and sculpture.
A chandelier of this size and grandeur certainly would have been appropriate for an important hotel, mansion or other impressive interior where scale and brilliance were essential to the overall architectural effect.
Its enormous size, however, also plays an important role in determining its value today.
While the chandelier possesses considerable artistic and decorative appeal, a potential buyer must have the ceiling height, structural support and appropriate space to accommodate such a substantial fixture. That naturally limits the pool of buyers compared with a smaller chandelier.
Taking its age, craftsmanship, sculptural quality, scale and current market into consideration, I would place the value of this fine French gilt-bronze 21-light chandelier at approximately $20,000.
As for the Waldorf Astoria connection, without a period photograph, inventory record or other documentation placing this exact chandelier inside the hotel, there isn't enough evidence to substantiate that provenance.
Still, Nancy, you don't need the Waldorf Astoria story to make this chandelier special. You've inherited a remarkable example of late-19th-century decorative art with significant craftsmanship, history and value all its own.
Jon Felz - Senior Appraiser
RZM Fine Arts & Antiques, Inc.
Address: 132 Dexter Avenue, Pearl River, NY
Phone: 845-735-1313
Email: rzmantique@aol.com