Style Art Nouveau / Ref.15159

Auguste and Antonin DAUM and Louis MAJORELLE, “Nénuphar” lamp, 1903

This "Nénuphar" (water lily) lamp was made as part of a collaboration between Louis Majorelle, for the gilded bronze base, and the Daum brothers, for the glass calyx, in 1903.

Louis Majorelle (1859-1926) studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, before taking over the family earthenware and furniture factory on the death of his father. He worked with the Daum brothers on several occasions from 1891. The Daum glassworks was founded in Nancy in 1878 by Jean Daum (1825-1885), and taken over in 1885 by his sons Auguste (1853-1909) and Antonin (1864-1930). Little by little, they diversified the techniques they used: they engraved with acid and the wheel and worked with multi-layered glass. The glassworks took part in numerous exhibitions, winning prestigious awards.

The "Nénuphar" lamp was the result of a collaboration between the Daum brothers and Louis Majorelle. Its three-lobed base in gilded metal is decorated with three frogs resting on water lily leaves. A stem climbing up the high base opens out into several leaves supporting the calyx of the glass water lily flower, which blends in harmoniously. The flower features a network of supple veins executed with a wheel. It is made up of two different levels of glass, to mimic the staggered petals of these flowers.

When the lamp is switched off, the glass has a pinkish tinge, whereas when it is switched on, it takes on the colour of a brilliant orangey yellow. This is because the glass is dichroic, changing colour according to the position of the light. To achieve this effect, a thin layer of metals (such as gold or silver, for example) is included in the glass matrix during manufacture.

Early versions of this model were exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1902, and prototypes were shown at the École de Nancy exhibition in Paris the following year. Our lamp was probably made in 1903, following these various presentations.

Another water-lily lamp, very similar to ours in shape but with a calyx showing subtle shades of pink and green, was sold at Phillips on 8 June 2023; the small insect on the calyx links it to the lamp shown at the École de Nancy exhibition in Paris in 1903, according to the period photograph of the display case in which it was shown. The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Orsay Museum each have a model of the lamp.

This "Nénuphar" lamp, from the first series produced, engraved with a wheel rather than acid, is of exceptional quality. It stands out from the rest of the production of this model for the fine detail of its decoration, as well as its soft pink colour, which is transformed into a beautiful golden yellow by the light it diffuses, particularly highlighting its engraved network of veins.