Table lamp attributed to La Maison Desny
Object No. 2005/66/12
French design company, La Maison Desny, made this table lamp between 1929 and 1937 in a modernist style, combining geometric forms with mass-produced materials that include glass and metal-alloy. Little is known about the company except that, during its brief history, it undertook some major interior design commissions for the King of Belgium, the French investment banker, Pierre David-Weill, and other wealthy patrons. Established by two friends, M Desenet and René Nauny, at 122 Avenue des Champs-Élysées in 1927, the company designed whole interiors as well as individual pieces for the office and home. However, it gained particular attention for its light fittings, usually made from layered, geometric plates of glass or metal. It also made chromed wall brackets, chandeliers and floor lamps and designed its fittings to illuminate an interior from several points instead of a central location. The collaboration ended in 1933 with the death of Desenet though the company may have continued to operate until 1937. (Duncan, A. and Friedman, A., 'La Maison Desny' in DAPA, Summer, 1988, p.86-93)
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Summary
Object Statement
Table lamp, 439 Series, electric, glass / aluminium / cotton / plastic / electrical components, attributed to La Maison Desny, Paris, France, 1929-1937
Physical Description
A small Art Deco style table lamp featuring a layered glass shade and two rectangular glass feet supported on square mirrored base. A tapered aluminium shaft, attached to the base supports the stepped layers of square cut glass that increase and decrease in size, with the largest square positioned in the middle. The light globe is concealed in a space within the glass squares and is covered with a thin aluminium square that sits in the centre of the top layer of glass. The power cord is made from two plaited wires covered with black woven cotton. A white plastic on/off button is attached along the length of the cord.
DIMENSIONS
Width
105 mm
Depth
105 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The French design company, La Maison Desny, made this table lamp in between 1929 and 1937 from layered, square glass plates on an aluminium base. La Maison Desny's table lamps and wall-mounted lamps typically combined glass and aluminium whioch were anmong favoutirts Art Deco materials. The Art Deco period spanned the years between the two world wars, and influenced all manner of contemporary art and design. Its most common expression was apparent in home furnishings decorated with extensive streamlining, geometric patterns and bold colour schemes.
HISTORY
Notes
Ian Neil Whalland (1963-1996) acquired this table lamp for his collection of twentieth-century decorative art objects. He lived in Sydney, and developed his collection during the 1980s and 1990s.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Bequest of Ian Neil Whalland, 1996
Acquisition Date
16 February 2005
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