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The unique Porcelain Wreck:
What the chandelier recovered from the seabed may have looked like

At a depth of 600 metres, archaeologists have discovered parts of elegant wine glasses and expensive chandeliers. But what did these luxury lighting fixtures actually look like?

Grey crate containing rusted metal parts secured with green rope.

The chandelier arm recovered from the shipwreck can be seen on the left side of the crate.

(Photo: Frode Kvalø / Norwegian Maritime Museum)

Ida Irene Bergstrøm Ida Irene Bergstrøm Journalist

Published 12 June 2026 - 00:01

On the seabed, at a depth of 600 metres, most of the cargo from what researchers have named the Porcelain Wreck still lies undisturbed.

Sometime in the mid-18th century, the ship sank in the open waters off the Norwegian coast in the Skagerrak. Nearly 300 years later, in September of last year, it was discovered by accident.

The porcelain that archaeologists from the Norwegian Maritime Museum have managed to recover from the depths is intact. It looks as if it was made yesterday.

Of what may once have been a chandelier, only a single component has been brought to the surface so far – a crystal arm. But images from the seabed reveal that several more of these arms remain down there.

Plastic crate containing assorted shells tied with green rope. — The chandelier arm is located in the lower-left corner of the crate. To the right is a shattered glass bottle, and above it a round or oval glass piece resembling a shallow bowl. This may have been part of a chandelier or a decorative table centerpiece. At the top of the crate are fragments of broken stemware.

Three people lean over trays of marine samples on a boat deck at sunset. — Frode Kvalø, Espen Saastad, and Erik Erland Holmen examine the treasures they have recovered from the depths of the sea. The Porcelain Wreck was discovered in September of last year. During April and May, 40 artefacts were brought to the surface with the aid of advanced technology.

Chandelier assembly kit

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“It's part of a curved arm that may have belonged to what's known as an arm chandelier. These are the parts that hold the candles,” says Torgeir Kjos, conservator at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.

However, such arms could also have been intended for things other than chandeliers, for example candelabra – a decorative candlestick with several branches – or table centerpieces.

“So we can't say with complete certainty that it was intended for a chandelier based on a single arm alone. But it's quite likely,” Kjos believes.

Crystal chandelier suspended in a gallery interior with framed portraits on the wall. — An example of an 18th-century German chandelier from the collection of the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.

The fact that archaeologists have recovered only one arm so far does not mean it came from a broken chandelier. According to Kjos, chandeliers of this kind were essentially sold as kits. While they generally followed established designs, customers could buy indificual parts and assemble them themselves.

Besides the arms that carried the candles, these chandeliers also featured decorative glass ornaments, some of which hung from the arms.

Shiny metallic bowls, vessels and linked decorative pieces displayed on a dark background. — These chandeliers were assembled from numerous individual components, such as those preserved at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.

Open book showing a black-and-white technical illustration of coiled tubing and fittings. — Illustration of a candle arm from Nøstetangen’s hand-drawn catalogue of 1763. Such pieces could be used in chandeliers or candelabra.

Muddy underwater scene with rocks, debris and a small yellow object. — Several chandelier arms can be seen sticking out of the mud on the ocean floor on the right side of this image.

An luxury item for the wealthy

The merchant ship resting on the seabed was the type that sailed between European ports. It was not large enough to have travelled all the way to China to collect the porcelain.

Glass chandeliers, on the other hand, were manufactured in several places in Europe and began gaining popularity towards the end of the 17th century.

“By the mid-18th century, they had become a well-established luxury item among the wealthy,” Kjos explains.

In 1741, the company Nøstetangen began producing glass in Norway, the conservator says. Over time, it produced impressive chandeliers that even featured coloured decorative elements. The Nøstetangen chandeliers known today were most often found in public buildings such as churches and in the homes of certain prominent individuals.

Decorative crystal chandelier hanging in front of tall windows. — A Nøstetangen chandelier in the collection of the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.

An ornate chandelier with lit candles and hanging crystal decorations in a dim room. — The chandelier arm recovered from the shipwreck may have belonged to a similar type of fixture.

“Only a select few among the growing middle and upper classes could afford items like these. They were exceptionally expensive items, and very few people would have had one hanging in their home,” Kjos explains.

“The three most impressive examples still hang in Kongsberg Church today,” he adds.

Between 1760 and 1803, Norway banned the import of glass in an effort to support its own glassmaking industry. Prior to that, most glassware was imported from Germany, with smaller quantities arriving from England, according to Kjos.

Clear vintage-style stemmed glass on a white background. — Torgeir Kjos believes the glasses from the Porcelain Wreck may be a late Baroque German design known as a Perlkelchen, meaning 'little goblet with pearls.' Such glasses were relatively common among wealthy members of the urban middle and upper classes.

Decorative clear glass chandelier with multiple arms on a plain light background. — The candle arm recovered from the depths may also have originated from a decorative table centerpiece. These objects were intended to adorn dining tables and could also be used for serving desserts. This example from the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History’s collection was produced by Nøstetangen.

High-quality glass

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The glass chandelier arms recovered from the seabed most likely originated in Germany, England, or the Netherlands, says art historian Geir Thomas Risåsen, who is also a conservator at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.

“At Nøstetangen, glassmakers managed to produce spectacular multicoloured glass. Chandeliers from other countries were generally made of white glass, that is, clear, single-coloured glass,” he explains. “The chandelier arm recovered from the wreck is made of exceptionally clear, pure, and finely crafted glass. It's a high-quality piece.”

The stemmed wine glasses carried aboard the ship were luxury items as well, although they would have been more affordable to a larger section of the bourgeoisie. These glasses may also provide important clues about where the vessel came from, or at least where it had travelled.

“If more drinking glasses are recovered, we may be able to learn more about the country where the glass was produced,” says Risåsen. “It's quite likely that the glasses were manufactured in the same country from which the ship originally departed.”

A man working on a large crystal chandelier in an ornate room. — Church caretaker Bjørn Idar Sommer lights one of the chandeliers in Kongsberg Church.

Hope to recover porcelain plants

Archaeologists at the Norwegian Maritime Museum are preparing for another expedition next week, although they do not currently intend to recover additional glass artefacts, according to Sven Ahrens.

He is the director of research at the Norwegian Maritime Museum.

The primary objective of the upcoming expedition is to retrieve several porcelain figurines that appear to imitate plant forms. The team also hopes to recover a decorated panel from an iron stove. Both objects may contain clues about where they were manufactured, which in turn could provide valuable evidence about where the ship sailed from.

For now researchers can only recover objects lying on the surface of the wreck, Ahrens explains. The glass visible there has already been damaged by trawling activity.

Underwater seabed with scattered debris and a discarded can on the left. — On their next expedition, the archaeologists hope to recover several porcelain figurines that appear to imitate plant forms, such as the example shown on the right.

“I do not think that recovering additional fragments of this glass at the moment will tell us much more about the ship’s trade route or home port,” Ahrens says.

“It's entirely possible that the mystery surrounding this vessel will remain unsolved during the preliminary investigation. To answer those questions, we will need access to deeper layers of sediment and to the cargo stored inside the crates,” he adds.