Neoclassical Silvered Metal Chandelier by Maison Charles, French Work, circa 1940

Among the signature qualities that set Maison Charles apart from its competitors in the Parisian luxury market was the firm’s mastery of surface treatment: the gilding, silvering, and patination of metal were pursued with a precision and range that allowed each piece to achieve its exact intended effect. Where a bronze piece called for warmth, the bronziers at Charles applied warm-toned gilding; where a composition demanded the cooler brilliance associated with classical marble and silver — as in the neoclassical pieces for which the firm became particularly celebrated — silvered metal was deployed with equal command. This chandelier, a substantial piece measuring 83.5 centimetres in diameter, belongs to the latter tradition.

The neoclassical language of the piece is authoritative and well-resolved: the composition draws on the formal vocabulary of the ancient world — symmetry, the balance of ornament and void, and the restrained deployment of classical motifs — while translating it into a piece of assured mid-twentieth-century character. The silvered finish, cool and luminous, gives the chandelier an almost architectural quality; its proportions — wide and relatively shallow at 83.5 by 58 centimetres — create a horizontal emphasis that complements rooms of generous ceiling height with particular elegance.

Maison Charles operated throughout the twentieth century as the pre-eminent Parisian house for decorative bronzes and lighting of the highest quality. Their pieces appeared in the grandest private residences and the most celebrated hotels of France and beyond, and a signed Charles chandelier of this scale and quality continues to represent the French tradition of luxe artisanat at its most distinguished.