GIRANDOLE (from the Ital. girandola)  , an ornamental branched candlestick of several lights . It came into use about the second half of the 17th century, and was commonly made and used in pairs . It has always been, comparatively speaking, a luxurious appliance for lighting, and in the great 18th-century period of French house decoration the famous ciseleurs designed some exceedingly beautiful examples . A great variety of metals has been used for the purpose—sometimes, as in the case of the candlestick, girandoles have been made in hard woods . Gilded bronze has been a very frequent medium, but for table purposes silver is still the favourite material .