Uploaded April 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
RESTORATION PROJECT
Lasvit is a young and progressive Czech company that brought together an outstanding team of glassmakers, following a thousand-year-old legacy of the traditional Bohemian craft. Although Lasvit achieved a world-wide reputation for state-of-the art installations that include latest lighting and kinetic technology, the company also have a team of master craftsmen, dedicated to the restoration of period lighting such as chandeliers. Lasvit is now proudly presenting the latest restoration project of Bohemian crystal chandeliers in the Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan, Italy.
“I was very excited when I entered Palazzo Serbelloni and discovered the beautiful Bohemian chandeliers of the late 1700s in an Italian palace. It was instantly clear that Lasvit and our master glassmakers could significantly contribute to the restoration of these extraordinary artefacts,” said Leon Jakimič, Founder and President of Lasvit.
The chandeliers, crafted of Bohemian crystal at the end of the 18th century, are located in the grand hall, called either Sala Napoleonica or Sala Bonaparte, and in the smaller Sala Gian Galeazzo, having the same design in smaller scale. The four renovated chandeliers are composed of forty various components that have more than 1,000 elements.
The restoration project by Lasvit required a combination of three glassmaking techniques. These included the production and replacement of hand-cut crystal trimmings, hand-blown and cut components, as well as mold–melted and cut glass arms. The overall aim was to sustain as many original components as possible, despite such traces of age as scratches or minor damage to preserve the original character of the chandeliers. The original crystal components of the chandeliers were dismantled and shipped to Lasvit glassworks in the Czech Republic. Back to the region of Bohemia, an area with rich glassmaking tradition, passed down from generation to generation, where the chandeliers were likely originally made in the late 1700’s, completing a historic and creative full-circle.
“I have a great respect and admiration for precise craftsmanship of the past masters and their Bohemian approach. We made ‘Bohemian Perfection’ our motto. ‘Bohemian’ refers both to the region and the proverbial creative and free-spirited approach. We continue to strive for perfection and precision, much like our predecessors. This philosophy translates into everything Lasvit produces. We are proud and honored to have been given the opportunity to participate in a project of this importance. Thanks to the collaboration of dedicated team of Fondazione Serbelloni and Lasvit´s skillful artisans, the chandeliers are now presented in their former glory,” the Lasvit Founder and President added.
Marta Polese, the head of the restoration team on the Italian side, related: “I have always believed in binomial Light = Life, in all its meanings. This project combines the idea of giving back these magnificent eighteenth-century chandeliers their light and shine and of restoring a new life to the essence of the famous ‘Sala Napoleonica’ of the historic Palazzo Serbelloni. ‘Let there be light!’ never felt so accurate!”
Follow Lasvit at
facebook.com/LASVITDESIGN
instagram.com/lasvitdesign
twitter.com/LasvitDesign
pinterest.com/lasvit
RESTORATION PROJECT
Lasvit is a young and progressive Czech company that brought together an outstanding team of glassmakers, following a thousand-year-old legacy of the traditional Bohemian craft. Although Lasvit achieved a world-wide reputation for state-of-the art installations that include latest lighting and kinetic technology, the company also have a team of master craftsmen, dedicated to the restoration of period lighting such as chandeliers. Lasvit is now proudly presenting the latest restoration project of Bohemian crystal chandeliers in the Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan, Italy.
“I was very excited when I entered Palazzo Serbelloni and discovered the beautiful Bohemian chandeliers of the late 1700s in an Italian palace. It was instantly clear that Lasvit and our master glassmakers could significantly contribute to the restoration of these extraordinary artefacts,” said Leon Jakimič, Founder and President of Lasvit.
The chandeliers, crafted of Bohemian crystal at the end of the 18th century, are located in the grand hall, called either Sala Napoleonica or Sala Bonaparte, and in the smaller Sala Gian Galeazzo, having the same design in smaller scale. The four renovated chandeliers are composed of forty various components that have more than 1,000 elements.
The restoration project by Lasvit required a combination of three glassmaking techniques. These included the production and replacement of hand-cut crystal trimmings, hand-blown and cut components, as well as mold–melted and cut glass arms. The overall aim was to sustain as many original components as possible, despite such traces of age as scratches or minor damage to preserve the original character of the chandeliers. The original crystal components of the chandeliers were dismantled and shipped to Lasvit glassworks in the Czech Republic. Back to the region of Bohemia, an area with rich glassmaking tradition, passed down from generation to generation, where the chandeliers were likely originally made in the late 1700’s, completing a historic and creative full-circle.
“I have a great respect and admiration for precise craftsmanship of the past masters and their Bohemian approach. We made ‘Bohemian Perfection’ our motto. ‘Bohemian’ refers both to the region and the proverbial creative and free-spirited approach. We continue to strive for perfection and precision, much like our predecessors. This philosophy translates into everything Lasvit produces. We are proud and honored to have been given the opportunity to participate in a project of this importance. Thanks to the collaboration of dedicated team of Fondazione Serbelloni and Lasvit´s skillful artisans, the chandeliers are now presented in their former glory,” the Lasvit Founder and President added.
Marta Polese, the head of the restoration team on the Italian side, related: “I have always believed in binomial Light = Life, in all its meanings. This project combines the idea of giving back these magnificent eighteenth-century chandeliers their light and shine and of restoring a new life to the essence of the famous ‘Sala Napoleonica’ of the historic Palazzo Serbelloni. ‘Let there be light!’ never felt so accurate!”
Follow Lasvit at
facebook.com/LASVITDESIGN
instagram.com/lasvitdesign
twitter.com/LasvitDesign
pinterest.com/lasvit
