Six-Sided Arched Chandelier (2012)
Designed, sculpted and handcrafted entirely in the Kostylo Atelier
This slender six‑sided arched chandelier, created in 2012 as my own original design and fabrication, remains one of the most intricate and disciplined works to emerge from my atelier. Built entirely from solid brass, silver-soldered, hand‑chased and fitted with beveled glass, it represents a complete, traditional workshop process carried out from the first sketch to the final patinated surface.
The structure follows the logic of 19th-century craftsmanship: six beveled glass panels mounted with precision screws, allowing the entire chandelier to be fully disassembled, cleaned and serviced piece by piece. Every joint, every thread, every ornamental element is functional, intentional and built to last.
At the lower corner sits a hand‑chased rosette, gilded with 23‑karat gold. Higher up, on the wider radius of the hexagon, the chandelier carries gilded female heads – sculptural elements I modelled and chased by hand, then gilded to anchor the form and echo the language of classical French arched lantern chandeliers. Their presence gives the piece a ceremonial, architectural gravity.
The ornamental vocabulary – masks, floral motifs, scrollwork, the ceiling rosette with its side adjustment screw – was shaped entirely in solid brass, silver‑soldered and refined by hand. The patina, a deep and dignified old bronze, was applied and matured to reveal subtle highlights along the edges and profiles.
Objects like this remind me why I value slow, disciplined craft: the clarity of construction, the honesty of materials, and the quiet satisfaction of making something that carries weight, presence and time.
Designed and handcrafted entirely in the Kostylo Atelier.
