1930s French Machine Age Art Deco Modernist Moderne Lighting Fixture

Those of you “in the know” will immediately recognize this light fixture as being ultra-rare and, as mentioned in the title, from the 1930s realm of “machine age” design.

Do you also recognize the French phrase “dans son jus?” When I first heard it while chasing down my antiques in France, I had to stop and think about it (for two seconds). Basically, it’s the adorable French way of saying “as found,” all by way of saying it’s got “condition issues,” and has been subject to the ravages of time. Fortunately in this instance we’re only talking about surface patina; the structural condition of the metal itself is tops. And that metal itself is a combination of brass, aluminum, iron. The large rings are made of aluminum, as is the canopy. The shaft and the ring which holds the glass in place — copper-plated and patinated brass. “Patinated” means that these parts have a two-tone finish, copper and blackened copper to give the fixture a more complex appearance — much like the revered “tiger stripe” finish in American 1910-ish lighting fixtures.

I would imagine that this fixture was relegated to a barn or basement at some point, as times and decorative ideals underwent change. I’ve done a cursory cleaning; probably some careful additional cleaning would yield positive results. In general, the finish has compromises one associates with atmospheric debris. The wiring is in excellent condition — fully intact and functioning. The original French bayonet-mounting sockets are installed and work perfectly. You can easily buy bayonet-mounting bulbs on the Internet (for 110-120 American voltage) and so you can have as much light as you want. Or, use the three socket inserts that I’m sending with the fixture, which allow the bayonet sockets to accept American candelabra bulbs (maximum 60 watts each). Light comes through the space between the two louvres, of course, for that visual impact we love so much about machine age lighting. The frosted glass on the bottom of the fixture is curved and is about 14 inches in diameter. It’s a replacement for the original glass and has a spray-on frosted finish. As you can see, I’ve photographed the fixture with clear candelabra bulbs. Frosted bulbs will soften the look.

This light fixture’s compelling design will be a real show-stopper in the right room; and, as mentioned, the bayonet sockets can host large wattage bulbs to allow this to be a major light source for the room. Put it on a dimmer at night and you’ll be on a voyage to outer space!

Dimensions: about 19 inches across and 28 inches long. This will be shipped fully assembled (with the glass in its own box inside the larger box) in one large box. The box will be about 32 by 24 and go by UPS ground.