The earliest of preserved samples of artistic made Russian lighting devices are dated by XII century. The horos-church chandeliers representing a complex design, assembled of sixty three separate parts are most typical for this time. In XIV-XV centuries in Novgorod there were special workshops where they cast separate parts and such lighting devices were assembled. In Russian lighting fixtures of XVI-XVII centuries art moulding received a wide circulation; the Moscow Armory Museum played the important role at this time in the development of various areas of Russian arts and crafts. Lighting devices were made of metal and wood, it depended on their purpose and price; forms and decor were rather various, the lighting fixtures quite met rather unpretentious requirements of various layers of the population. Only promptly increased requirements together with technical achievements of the second half of XVII century resulted in the original bloom of art of creation of lighting devices in XVIII and XIX centuries.

The lighting devices of XVIII century occuring in various layers of Russian population had some prominent features: peasants usually used lamps in which chips burned; poor townspeople-craftsmen - iron candlesticks into which grease candles were inserted; rich townspeople and high class used various types of lighting devices in which waxen candles burned; poor layers of the population, except for grease candles, flat dishes filled with fat in which the lit match floated were used for long time.

In Russia, grease candles were used also in office premises of rich houses and palaces. Waxen candles were more expensive.

So, public theatres of the end of XVIII century did not have enough means for waxen candles, therefore there were used, mainly, grease candles with much smoke and soot. In the Bolshoy Peter`s theatre of Maddoks illuminated by grease candles, on boundary XVIII-XIX of centuries because of absence of means on waxen candles, it was allowed for the rich people to have their own furniture and illumination at their desire and taste. For illumination of the stage in Parisian and Petersburg theatres flat dishes were widely used in the end of XVIII century.

In the second half of XVII century, and especially in XVIII century, with appearance of rich and magnificently decorated apartments intended for evening festivals and amusements, weak illumination ceased to satisfy the increased needs and this resulted in the search of new ways of illumination which might increase light exposure of interiors. One of the first innovations were metal reflectors - reflectors which strengthened natural light of the candle. But it was too little for illumination of big halls. In the second half of XVII century in the Western Europe they began to use rock crystal which had a big reflective force in lighting devices. Shine of it seemed to foreigners so strong, that Peter I who visited the Parisian opera during his stay in France in 1717 even asked to switch off two lusters because the light was too bright. Lighting devices with rock crystal were very expensive, so, for two lusters with rock crystal and clock with music for the Taurian palace Potemkin paid 42 thousand roubles in gold.

Rock crystal soon was replaced with cheaper material - artificial crystal discovered in the second half of XVII century. Such glass for the first time was made in Czechia, but in lighting devices it found a wide circulation, first of all, in France.

Palace interiors of the first half and especially middle of XVIII century were magnificently and richly decorated, the groove and moulding with gilding were widely used. Smart apartments function, mainly, in the evening and night time, their decoration should have been brightly illuminated, therefore the special attention was given to the invented reflective and crystal illumination. The form of lighting devices should have been in harmony with the interior since they played a role of original art stress in the interior. Russian lighting devices of baroque epoch - first half of XVIII century - essentially differ from the Russian lighting fixtures of the empire style and classicism, in the design and composite principles, and decor.