It's OLD...likely original to the house or to the period. It's a gas fixture that has been wired for electricity. I have one in my kitchen that I bought in an antiques store. Be especially careful of the glass shades as they are impossible to replace.
It's beautiful!!

thanks, Linda!

I took it apart and it does look like it’s been rebuilt with wiring, as the wires at the bottom are capped with typical modern connecters and then wrapped in electrical tape, and I doubt a commercial fixture would have the tape on it. There’s also an reddish orange epoxy inside that appears to be sealing off the arms to the lights. So I do buy your suggestion that its an old piece that’s been wired for electricity.

That said, the pieces that look like valve knobs don’t look like they can turn, as I can’t find any seam or gap between the valve piece and the arm of the fixture in the metal. There’s a functional screw on the top side of them and removing the screw, I can look into the arm but I do not see anything (including the wire, so it’s like a tube within a tube). Is it possible they were welded in place during a conversion? They do have an incredibly detailed shape - there’s a tiny little protrusion that would have acted as a stopper for the valve turning. I looked over the entire piece for a makers mark but didn’t find anything.

the plot thickens on this one - maybe I’m sitting on a real treasure of a piece, and not just a really excellent reproduction? Either way I’m glad to know more about it!

I have a somewhat similar style chandelier which I inherited from my parents. It was most definitely formerly a gas fixture as my mother had it wired for electricity when she acquired it in a junk store - I mention junk because she was always disappointed when her junk stores started selling "antiques" :-).

I believe that this is in the Neo Rococo Victorian style. And although there are obviously reproductions, the glass shades can be acquired but they are incredibly expensive since you need to replace all of them. I don't know if mine are original to the chandelier but they have been on the chandelier as long as I remember.

the small medallion is original but I had the larger ceiling medallion made for me when I reinstalled after a remodel.

I suspect yours is a higher end reproduction which means it could be 40 years old but not authentic to the era of the house. Without seeing the casting details and the inside fittings, that is my guess. Until now, I hadn't seen that version of downrod with set screw for hanging, so I am somewhat unsure how to interpret that.
Quick test - does a magnet stick to any part of the fixture?

I grew up in a house that was built in 1901 and all the fixtures that had not been replaced were dual fuel...gas jets heading up and electric heading down.
Yes...it's really old and not a repro...when i bought mine it was in "as is" condition and the guy I bought it from specialized in reworking and making them functional... the pipe on mine was made for a1 2 foot ceiling....so I had 2 feet cut off!
And Helen, I believe your chandeliere was originally electric....but for maybe the brass pipe to the ceiling. Does the black part hold a magnet?
And Amy yours is original...I would bet the farm on that! Not worth a lot....I paid $`150 for mine about 30 years ago...and at that time it was a little cheaper than a good quality new fixture.....don't know what they are selling for now.

I know for certain mine was originally gas. It was rewired to electric when my mother brought it home.

It isn’t black. It’s just extremely tarnished. And poor lighting when I took the photo. The shinier brass part was something that was a relatively recent addition that I had done by a shop that does restorations because fo4 whatever reason there was a portion that was naked. Perhaps it was lengthened inartfully at some point. Eventually it will tarnish to match the rest.

In terms of value, I think your figure is quite a bit lower than market value. Even reproductions are $2000 or so when I was shopping for stuff. Of course one can always locate a bargain. And something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it

I dunno, but I like it.

LyndeeLee - are you referring to the screw that is holding the top canopy thing in place When you mention “down rod with set screw”? I’d love to attach photos of other details to help you get a closer look but some of the terminology is not familiar to me so maybe you can elaborate?

To answer your magnet question - it only sticks to the center rod, hidden underneath the brass tube - everything else is not magnetic.

I’m obviously not knowledgeable about these things, so I really appreciate everyone’s helpful information!! Thank you all - my house is always surprising me with little historical treasures. 😊

Victorian Lighting Works sells one very, very similar down to the pine cone finial on the bottom. I expect the price to be around $600 to $750, whether it is an old fixture completely redone or a very good reproduction. Either way, it is a nice fixture. Some Victorian era fixtures are just too overdone for my taste but that one is classic.

Several years ago, I was assisting in the demolition phase of a gut rehab of an old house. When I took down one fixture, we still smelled gas! It was noticeable enough that we called a brief halt to confirm the gas was indeed turned off to the property.

If you unscrew the canopy from the downrod, you should be able to slide the canopy down and look inside of it. The canopy is the part that’s touching the ceiling, btw.

Please be careful if you decide to do that, making sure you support the downrod the whole time!

Have you looked at the House of Antique Hardware? They have a pretty good selection of Victorian repro. lighting: HAH-Victorian hardware

My husband's house was originally gas as were several of our friends. One thing that puzzles me is the size of the pipe. I am more familiar with ones that were larger diameter than what they appear to be.

It's very shiny which makes me wonder if when it was electrified, it was polished and lacquered--lacquer could very well seal the gas knobs in place.

Vintage Hardwire and Lighting

Vintage Hardware and Lighting is another source for period lighting and hardware. I got Art Deco reproduction sconces for my master bathroom.

Fori that’s a great hypothesis about the gas valve keys. I can’t figure out why a reproduction would go to the trouble have a functional screw above the key that has no discernable purpose, so maybe it was polished and lacquered as part of its restoration.

thank you again, everyone! I am learning so much and I’m so grateful!

Sammy, I am able to see inside the canopy - it’s just sort of greenish and dusty. No markings of any kind that I can find. Same goes for the rest of the piece. I can unscrew the bottom finial and pull it apart from the underside and see a ball-shaped piece in there that has the wiring threaded through it and presumably down to each arm, and some reddish orange epoxy, but otherwise no markings. Some rust on the finial screw that I’m guessing indicates age but nothing else remarkable.