(A) This riot of geometry shows just how wild those 20's French designers got after their two-hour afternoon naps. Perfect for a shorter ceiling, it has a total drop of only 27 inches, and a span of about 29. The six shades are top quality, unsigned but attributed to the Parisian maker Donna. They've got a hint of pale yellow to them and each is emblazoned with four vertical columns of stars! (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(B) This acquisition has single-handedly hurtled me into the Big Leagues, and no longer am I the mere water boy groveling around at the players' feet. Here, of course, we have a magnificently decorated Le Verre Francais lighting bowl in the "mirettes" pattern, acid cutback technique. Since my breath has been quite taken away I'm not going to blather on about the depth of the acid-etching or the extraordinary vibrance of the colors, or the entirely original mountings, their awesome designs and rich patina, or all the other things I might go on and on and on about. Just imagine this: you're with your favorite person, sitting in a rosewood chair at your macassar ebony and rosewood dining table. It's your birthday and your friend has had a five-course French meal catered for the occasion, by the best French restaurant in town. This is the only light on in the room and you've dimmed it down to about 20 watts. I hope you make it to the second course...

It hangs around 30 inches long, as shown, and the bowl's about 17 across.

(e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(B-2) "This little Degue of mine, I'm-a gonna let it shine..." And so it shall, brightening up your environment and maybe even illuminating your inner spirit. It's a rather rare one, all festooned with typical Degue geometry and stylized floral designs; the glass is nearly a half-inch thick in places! The metal, outrageously ornate, contrasts head-on with the more spare designs in the glass, but what Frenchman doesn't squirm with delight at the paradoxes and anomalies of life?! It hangs about 23 inches long and is 15 1/2 across. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

 

 

(C) This hand-wrought iron geometric French Art Deco chandelier from the 20's has a lustrous deep-brown original patina, and the signed mottled, orange and gray-white (no yellow, that's the result of the photography only) Schneider shades compliment that palette perfectly. It hangs 28 inches and has a diameter of about 17 inches. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(D) This extraordinary bronze and iceberg-blue glass French Art Deco chandelier is signed Ranc, a French lighting designer of great renown.   Suggestive of the classic Art Deco "flowing fountain" motif, it cascades light on three levels! The ornate, floral motifs in the metalwork and the glass bring to mind the earlier, more naturalistic mood of the Art Deco movement. A stunning presence -- large, measuring 32 inches top-to-bottom and about 27 inches wide. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(E) An "exercise in geometry" if there ever was! Heavily worked wrought iron with a flourish at the top. The glass has a pattern in it which also suggests a wrought iron surface, and there are four sockets in the bottom part. You can use four bulbs of any wattage you want, no limit! This fixture hangs about 30 inches long. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(F) This French Art Deco chandelier has a brand-new (but antiqued) brushed nickel finish. There are six large "slip" shades, three hanging shades, all with a vivid, highly geometric motif, which is contrasted by the more fluid, organic designs of the canopy and the decorative elements below the glass -- an irrestible touch to the nature-loving French designers! It hangs about 40 inches long, has an approximate diameter of 21 inches. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(G) Here's a beautifully decorated but essentially "simple" light for an entryway, small bedroom, or hallway. The glass shades are, of course, exceptional, with their alluring geometric motifs and their irregular rims -- but you noticed that right away, didn't you!! And yes, that little brass button of a finial on the canopy WILL be plated in brushed nickel, like the rest of the fixture, by the time it reaches your home! It hangs down about 27 inches as shown, but not to worry, the squared tubing can be cut to the length of your heart's (or your decorator's) desire... no problem-o. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(H) Fresh out of Jacques' Restoration Cannon, this sublime, soul-of-simplicity beauty in brushed nickel just does it for me! Aaaoooooowww to those opalescent shades, too! And the pyramiding shade supports and socket covers? What could a restorer do for an encore? 25 inches long by 22 in diameter. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(I) This was one of the most mind-boggling restorations I've ever sunk my teeth into. I was so intimidated by the project that I had it sitting on a shelf for about three years!!! The glass is just beyond paper-thin, and there's a long, thin, ribbed glass tube in between each two panels, barely visible in the photos. Get a load of the little star rosettes! None are missing! The metal is nickel-plated brass, in fine original condition. I suspect the manufacturer was Boretti of Lyon, as I've had several other fixtures by that company which have been equally brilliantly designed and executed. The castings are positively exquisite. It's not a large piece, with a total drop of about 20 inches and a diameter of about 15. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(J) This substantial, beautifully designed peach glass bowl just glows at the bottom of its suitably simple, elegant wrought iron mount. It's quite long, around 35 inches. Three bulbs inside will give you plenty of light. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(K) I had an identical fixture years ago, with four Delatte shades, but this one, with four Muller shades, eclipses it! The metalwork, all hand-wrought iron, brings to mind the antics of the Greek god Hephestus -- you know, the crippled, ugly old curmudgeon who hung around his dank and dreary workshop creating mind-altering works of the sheerest beauty. Every inch is hand-worked, and the little curls are fine as jewelry. As for the shades, they're Muller, of course (nicely signed, too!) and quite rare in shape and color. Note the slightly enclosed bottom, for starters. Then move on to the subtle pinks, purples and oranges. Yeow!! They happen to be in like-new condition. Show me another set! As shown, the fixture is about 23 inches long. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)

(L) This French Art Deco chandelier reminds us of Czechoslovakia's "end of day" or Italy's millefiore glass. But who really knows who "invented" this extraordinary technique of blending and fusing colors? Perhaps it was the French! In any case, I found this fixture in France, so I'll venture that's where it was made. Note the spare but elegantly ornamented metalwork. It hangs down around 28 inches and is about 26 across. (e-mail Jack to start the conversation)