An art deco wrought-iron two-branch desk lamp by Marcel Vasseur, the metalwork lightly hammered and with an abstract “sunray” design, the two matching “pate-de-verre” lampshades engraved “Schneider”; France, c.1925.

Provenance and Pictures 7 & 8 attributed to Michiel Paravas.  

Picture 6: Matching design galleries, Picture 7 and 8: matching base design

Marcel Vasseur, Paris

• Marcel Vasseur was a blacksmith who had like E.Brandt and R.Subes had a large workshop in Paris

• Vasseur designed bespoke pieces privately for clients but also had a catalogue of designs for his own outlet and appeared at the prestigeous 1925  art décorative exhibit in Paris.

• Old catalogues show Marcel Vasseur used pate-de-verre shades by Daum, Muller and Schneider as well as shades in alabaster or art-deco glass by Muller Freres.

• Sadly pieces are nearly always unsigned however occasionally Vasseur bases or chandelier mounts are signed FAG.

• In1925 the designer Maurice Dufresne head of the design department La Maitrise of the large Galeries Lafayette invited Vasseur to sell his lamps in Lafayette. These pieces were signed FAG (for Feronnerie d’Art des Galleries).

Verreries Schneider (Le verre Français), Epinay-sur-Seine 1913

Charles Schneider

• Charles Schneider was born in Chateau-Thierry, near Paris, on 23rd February 1881.

• His brother, Ernest Schneider (1877-1937), started working for Daum in 1903 as clerk. Charles had started an artistic career and was already active at Daum since 1898.

• In 1913, the brothers decided to start their own business and bought a small glass factory in association with a friend Henri Wolf, at Epinay-sur-Seine.

• In 1918, fire destroyed the studios at Galle and a group of artists went to Schneider’s.

• Early Cameo glass in art Nouveau style is signed “Le Verre Francais” and “Charder” pseudonym for Charles Schneider

• Pate-de-verre and art deco glass is signed simply “Schneider”