Muller Frères Chandelier – Bowl And Three Tulips Made Of Glass Paste

Muller Frères – Croismare / Lunéville
France, circa 1905–1915
Art Nouveau period, transition to Art Deco
Wrought iron and marbled glass paste

Very elegant wrought-iron chandelier with rich foliage decoration, crafted by the renowned glassworks Muller Frères, paired with remarkable original glasswork including a central bowl in two-tone marbled glass paste and its three matching tulip-shaped shades.

The ensemble presents a particularly harmonious composition: the wrought-iron frame, featuring long stems and stylized plant motifs, supports a large central bowl as well as three suspended tulip-shaped shades, all perfectly integrated into the original design.

The glasswork features magnificent, cloud-like shades in tones of opal white, blue, and violet, whose translucency reveals, when illuminated, a soft and warm light characteristic of Muller’s creations.

The history of the Muller brothers constitutes one of the major chapters in French art glass from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Trained primarily at the major glassworks of Lorraine and under Émile Gallé in Nancy, several of the Muller brothers began developing their own line of work in the late 1890s.

In 1897, they settled in Croismare, a few kilometers from Lunéville, where they worked in collaboration with the Hinzelin goblet-making workshop. Their early works bear the signature “Muller Croismare”, which is highly sought after today. Their designs were fully in line with the aesthetic of the École de Nancy, featuring motifs inspired by nature and sophisticated techniques such as multilayer glass, engraving, and fluogravure. The collections of the Petit Palais – Paris Musées include several works signed “Muller / Croismare,” notably those dated around 1905.

Over the years, the workshop developed a significant production of lighting fixtures. In the 1920s, the Muller brothers combined their marmoré glasswork with frames made of wrought iron, bronze, or brass, thereby contributing to the transition from Art Nouveau to Art Deco. Production ceased permanently in 1936.

This chandelier is a particularly good example of this evolution: the fluidity of the plant motifs and the wrought iron retains the spirit of Art Nouveau, while the design of the fixture and the treatment of the glasswork already foreshadow the aesthetics of the interwar period.

The main appeal of this piece lies in its exceptional completeness.

The large central bowl and the three tulip-shaped shades are original and perfectly matched. The set is in remarkable condition, with no missing or replaced glass elements.

The wrought-iron frame also retains its original floral decoration.

To allow for immediate use in a contemporary interior, the chandelier has been completely rewired in our workshop, while preserving its original structure.

It is therefore ready to be installed and used.

A particularly decorative piece, rare for its state of preservation and the fact that all of its original elements have been preserved, which will naturally find its place in a home with character, a historic residence, or a contemporary setting seeking the presence and elegance of the grand light fixtures of the École de Nancy.

Manufacturer: Muller Frères
Location: Croismare / Lunéville, France
Period: circa 1905–1915
Style: Art Nouveau, Art Nouveau transition – Art Deco
Materials: wrought iron and marbled glass paste
Lighting: three tulip shades + central bowl
Glasswork: original set
Signature: Muller / Croismare signature, to be confirmed precisely on the piece
Condition: in perfect condition
Electrical: fully rewired in our workshop, ready for installation