Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Mid-20th Century Mexican Arts and Crafts Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Brass
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Malachite, Brass
1930s Scandinavian Bauhaus Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Brass, Copper
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Glass, Wood
1960s English Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Sheet Metal
1960s English Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Glass
1960s English Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Sheet Metal
1960s English Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1950s English Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s Danish Brutalist Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Brass
1950s French Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Sheet Metal
1930s European Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s Czech Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Sheet Metal
1960s Russian Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1950s English Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s Czech Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Enamel
1960s French Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Aluminum
1960s Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s Moroccan Moorish Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Brass
20th Century American Art Deco Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Copper, Brass
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Crystal, Brass
1960s German Hollywood Regency Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal, Brass
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Crystal, Brass
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Crystal, Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal, Brass
1950s British Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1950s British Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1950s British Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Steel
1960s French Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s French Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
1950s Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1950s French Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s Russian Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
1960s Russian Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
1960s Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
1960s Russian Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Stainless Steel
1960s Russian Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Glass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Malachite, Brass, Enamel
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Chrome
1960s Russian Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
1960s Danish Brutalist Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Brass
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal, Enamel
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal
20th Century American Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Chrome
1960s German Hollywood Regency Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Crystal, Brass
1960s German Hollywood Regency Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps
Metal, Brass
Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Vintage Hanging Chain Lamps?
Finding the Right Chandeliers-pendant-lights for You
Chandeliers — simple in form, inspired by candelabras and originally made of wood or iron — first made an appearance in early churches. For those wealthy enough to afford them for their homes in the medieval period, a chandelier's suspended lights likely exuded imminent danger, as lit candles served as the light source for fixtures of the era. Things have thankfully changed since then, and antique chandeliers and pendant lights are popular in many interiors today.
While gas lighting during the late 18th century represented an upgrade for chandeliers — and gas lamps would long inspire Danish architect and pioneering modernist lighting designer Poul Henningsen — it would eventually be replaced with the familiar electric lighting of today.
The key difference between a pendant light and a chandelier is that a pendant incorporates only a single bulb into its design. Don’t mistake this for simplicity, however. An Art Deco–styled homage to Sputnik from Murano glass artisans Giovanni Dalla Fina, with handcrafted decorative elements supported by a chrome frame, is just one stunning example of the elaborate engineering that can be incorporated into every component of a chandelier. (Note: there is more than one lighting fixture that shares its name with the iconic mid-century-era satellite — see Gino Sarfatti’s design too.)
Chandeliers have evolved over time, but their classic elegance has remained unchanged.
Not only will the right chandelier prove impressive in a given room, but it can also offer a certain sense of practicality. These fixtures can easily illuminate an entire space, while their elevated position prevents them from creating glare or straining one’s eyes.
Certain materials, like glass, can complement naturally lit settings without stealing the show. Brass, on the other hand, can introduce an alluring, warm glow. While LEDs have earned a bad reputation for their perceived harsh bluish lights and a loss of brightness over their life span, the right design choices can help harness their lighting potential and create the perfect mood. A careful approach to lighting can transform your room into a peaceful and cozy nook, ideal for napping, reading or working.
For midsize spaces, a wall light or sconce can pull the room together and get the lighting job done. Perforated steel rings underneath five bands of handspun aluminum support a rich diffusion of light within Alvar Aalto's Beehive pendant light, but if you’re looking to brighten a more modest room, perhaps a minimalist solution is what you’re after. The mid-century modern furniture designer Charlotte Perriand devised her CP-1 wall lamps in the 1960s, in which a repositioning of sheet-metal plates can redirect light as needed.
The versatility and variability of these lighting staples mean that, when it comes to finding something like the perfect chandelier, you’ll never be left hanging. From the natural world-inspired designs of the Art Nouveau era to the classic beauty of Paul Ferrante's fixtures, there is a style for every room.
With designs for pendant lights and chandeliers across eras, colors and materials, you’ll never run out of options to explore on 1stDibs — shop a collection today that includes antique Art Deco chandeliers, Stilnovo chandeliers, Baccarat chandeliers and more.
Read More
This Paavo Tynell Chandelier Is a Radiant Bouquet
The alluring pendant light exemplifies the designer’s winsome mid-career work.
Ettore Sottsass Captures a Shooting Star in This Rare 1970s Floor Lamp
Before founding the Memphis Group, Sottsass bent the rules of lighting design with the wonderfully wavy Cometa.
You Don’t Need a Fictional Fairy to Get This Real Pinocchio Lamp
Warm chalet style meets cool Bauhaus functionality in Pietro Cascella’s cleverly carved creation.
Why Is Italy Such a Hotbed of Cool Design?
Patrizio Chiarparini of Brooklyn’s Duplex gallery sheds light on the lasting legacy of Italy’s postwar furniture boom.
With a High-Tech Flagship and Cool Collabs, Lladró Is Breaking the Mold for Porcelain Production
Thanks to its new leadership, the Spanish maker of figurines, busts and lighting is on a mission to update the art of porcelain for the 21st century.
Christopher Tennant’s Lamps and Dioramas Evoke Sunny Days and Seaside Locales
The former magazine editor blends elements of the Far East and America’s eastern shores, bringing wit and delight to his handmade, upcycled designs.
Paavo Tynell’s Snowflake Chandelier Warms Up Any Room
This circa 1950 piece by the legendary Finnish lighting designer spent the past several decades in a family's home in Michigan.
NASA Parachutes Inspired Lighting Designer Bec Brittain’s New Collection
In "Paraciphers," now on view at Emma Scully Gallery in New York, Brittain introduces works that were more than a decade in the making.