The graceful and stylish modern furniture designed by Jean Perzel earned him prestigious clients all over the world, including the Rothschilds and Henry Ford. His sleek Art Deco lighting fixtures are masterpieces of design, and his work has graced the homes of the kings of Morocco and Siam, and the French presidents Charles De Gaulle and Georges Pompidou. Vintage Perzel tables, floor lamps and other furnishings elegantly accentuate and complement — but never overpower — the architecture of their environment.
Perzel was born in Germany. His father and grandfather were glassmakers, and Jean learned to love the craft just as they did. He apprenticed with stained glass artist Franz Xaver Zettler in Munich and left his native country at a young age to travel around Europe. While traveling, he took jobs in various workshops and made his way to Paris around 1910. There he worked for a master glassmaker and was sent to their Algiers factory, where he supervised the production of the company’s more important commissions.
After serving in the Foreign Legion during the first World War, Perzel became a French citizen. He returned to glass painting in 1919 and became a stained glass artist in the workshop of revered Art Nouveau furniture designer Jacques Gruber.
Perzel eventually became fascinated with the burgeoning lighting industry’s then-new technology. He explored how illumination worked in big spaces such as the era’s stately cathedrals and bustling transit hubs and began to concentrate on designing elegant electric fixtures that offered diffused light in a uniform way.
Perzel opened his atelier in Paris in 1923 and produced decorative wall lights and sconces, chandeliers, floor and table lamps, and ceiling lights. He worked with frosted or sandblasted glass and colored enamels to design functional, geometrically rich fixtures that transformed an interior. Perzel’s work was included in the the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts — the exhibition credited with having widely publicized the Art Deco style — and he drew the attention of American industrialist Henry Ford, who commissioned him to design lamps, clocks and other objects that incorporated Ford auto parts. Perzel’s commission would help commemorate the production of 25 million Ford vehicles in Michigan. This cemented Perzel’s reputation as a prestigious lighting designer and manufacturer, and he was tasked with the production of headlights for Ford cars. The Ford-Perzel relationship endured for decades.
Perzel is renowned for designing the lighting for the Luxembourg Cathedral, the League of Nations in Geneva and the Canadian embassy in the Hague. He also collaborated with some of history’s most celebrated architects and designers, including Jules Leleu, Le Corbusier and Michel Roux-Spitz.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Atelier Jean Perzel lighting and other furniture.
A Pair of Fine French Mid-Century Glass and Bronze Table Lamps by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
A pair of rare fine French 1950's table lamp by Jean Perzel with a frosted white glass bowl attached on three bronze legs. Re-wired. Bibliography: Jean Jacques Wattel, "Ateliers J...
Bronze
French 1950's Lacquered Metal and Lucite Triangular Shape table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
Rare French mid-century light brown lacquered metal table lamp with curved Plexiglas diffusers by Jean Perzel. Signed.
Metal
Exceptional Art Deco Zodiac Desk Light or Table Lamp by Jean Perzel France 1940s
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in München, BY
Extremely rare and elegant Art Deco desk light or table lamp with zodiac signs. Designed & manufactured by Atelier Jean Perzel, Paris, France, 1940s. Signed on the base beside the s...
Aluminum, Brass
Modernist table lamp, 1930s, Jean Perzel, France, 30s, 20s
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Paris, FR
Exceptional and very very rare model. . Modernist table lamp, 1920s, 1930s Jean Perzel, around 1923. . Signed. . Sublime lighting. . One of the special features of this lamp is that...
Metal
Jean Perzel table lamp nickel and patinated metal 1940s
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Paris, IDF
This beautiful desk lamp, model 516, was designed by Jean Perzel in 1936, and produced until the late 1950s, our example being from the 1940s. The base is made of nickel metal, with ...
Metal
Fine French Art Deco Table Lamp by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With the original "médaille patinated" round base and tapered stem that hold a white lacquered and frosted glass shade.
Metal, Bronze
French Art Deco Table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Bridgewater, CT
Jean Perzel. Chromed-metal table lamp, circa 1930, concealing an inverted bell-shaped frosted glass shade, with the base inscribed Perzel. Measures: Height 22 in (55.8cm); diameter...
Chrome
Fine French Art Deco Table Lamp by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With a bronze base that supports a white opaline shade.
Bronze
Small Fine French 1960s Table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
Atelier Jean Perzel — A fine small French 1960s black lacquered metal table lamp, ideal as an accent light or for illuminating an object or artwork. Signed
Metal
A Fine French Art Deco Table Lamp by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Fine French Art Deco ivory lacquered table lamp with a frosted glass insert on the shade.
Jean Perzel '1892-1986' for Claude Lumière, Art Deco Desk Lamp
By Claude Lumière, Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Mouscron, WHT
Jean Perzel (1892-1986) for Claude Lumière. Desk lamp in burr-style lacquered metal, flared tubular legs and circular base, holophane glass topped with...
Metal
Jean PERZEL 1 Lamp or a Pair of French Table Lamps, 1970s
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
Jean Perzel Table Lamp, France, circa 1970. Elegant vintage table lamp by renowned French designer Jean Perzel, crafted circa 1970. The pair is available (2 copies can be ordered). ...
Brass
Eclipse Table Lamp by Atelier Jean Perzel, Brass, Art Deco, 1980s
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Den Haag, NL
Eclipse. A lamp designed with soft pleasant lines consisting of a light sphere supported by a 360° swivel support enabling to play with the light intensity. Model n° 936 GM Work...
Brass
Unusual Fine French Art Deco Reading Floor Lamp by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With a bronze leg and a pivoting ivory-lacquered arm supporting a brass and glass shade. Ideal next to a sofa or a writing table (the opening in the base is designed to accommodate a...
Brass
Fine French 1950s Satin Brass and White "Craquelé" Glass by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With a round brass base that supports a white crazed glass and brass tulip-shaped shade. Signed.
Brass
$5,500
Perzel Table Lamp
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Bridgewater, CT
Nickel-plated brass and frosted glass table lamp.
Bronze
Pair of Fine French Art Deco Brass and Glass Table Lamps by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With a conical brass base that supports a frosted glass ogive shape diffuser. Signed.
Brass
Fine French Art Deco Chrome and White Glass Table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With an half sphere chrome base that supports a ogive shape glass shade. A matching floor lamp is available (see pictures), not included in price.
Chrome
Fine French Art Deco Chrome and White Glass Floor Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With an half sphere chrome base and a tapered chrome stem that supports a ogive shape glass shade.
Chrome
$1,809
Perzel brass table light
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in TOURCOING, FR
Rare Brass Wall Light by Atelier Jean Perzel, France, circa 1950s A beautifully sculptural brass wall sconce by the legendary French lighting designer Jean Perzel, dating from the 1...
Brass
Jean Besnard, French Art Deco, Ceramic, Table Lamp, France, 1960s
By Jean Besnard
Located in Stamford, CT
Jean Besnard, French Art Deco, Brown Ceramic, Table Lamp, France, 1960s A small brown and white ceramic partially glazed table lamp designed and produced by Jean Besnard in France i...
Ceramic
$1,043Sale Price|25% Off
H 20.87 in W 16.93 in D 16.93 in
1930s American Modernist Nickel Plated Table Lamp
Located in Wien, Au
1930's American Modernist nickel plated Table Lamp
French Designer, Table Lamp, Metal, France, 1950s
Located in High Point, NC
A black-lacquered metal table lamp designed and produced in France, c. 1950s. Dimensions of Lamp (inches): 10.9"H x 6.5"W x 6.5"D Dimensions of Lamp with Shade (inches): 14.4” H x ...
Metal
Fine French Art Deco Table Lamp by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With a bronze base that supports a white opaline shade.
Bronze
Pair of Fine French Art Deco Brass and Glass Table Lamps by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With a conical brass base that supports a frosted glass ogive shape diffuser. Signed.
Brass
Table Lamp in Brass and Original Lacquered Metal, 1950's
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Table Lamp in Brass and Original Lacquered Metal, 1950's Additional Information: Material: Brass and original lacquered metal Style: Mid century, Scandinavian Probably produced in N...
Brass, Metal
$6,000
H 51.19 in W 28.75 in D 13.98 in
Unusual Fine French Art Deco Reading Floor Lamp by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
With a bronze leg and a pivoting ivory-lacquered arm supporting a brass and glass shade. Ideal next to a sofa or a writing table (the opening in the base is designed to accommodate a...
Brass
Art Deco Pendant Light by Jean Perzel, Mercury-Plated Bronze, 1930
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Art Deco pendant, mercury-plated bronze frame with satin-finished glass plate, designed by Jean Perzel (1892-1986). France, circa 1930.
Bronze
Small Fine French 1960s Table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
Atelier Jean Perzel — A fine small French 1960s black lacquered metal table lamp, ideal as an accent light or for illuminating an object or artwork. Signed
Metal
$3,947Sale Price / set|50% Off
H 7 in W 20 in D 20 in
Pair of Large Perzel French Art Deco 1940s Flush Ceiling Lamps
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in New York, NY
A pair of modern French Art Deco polished brass and frosted glass large flush ceiling lamps by famed lighting maker, Jean Perzel. Rewired 4 standard sockets. Can be sold individually...
Brass
Pair of Sconces by Atelier Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of Sconces by Atelier Jean Perzel. Designed and manufactured in France, circa 1940. Industrial, lantern-like wall sconces with sturdy brass frame and custom textured glass diffu...
Brass
French Art Deco Table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Bridgewater, CT
Jean Perzel. Chromed-metal table lamp, circa 1930, concealing an inverted bell-shaped frosted glass shade, with the base inscribed Perzel. Measures: Height 22 in (55.8cm); diameter...
Chrome
Lampada Déco Anni '30
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Milano, IT
Lampada da tavolo Déco in rame con paralume a forma di fungo e base a imbuto, paralume in vetro opaco.
Copper
Art Deco Table Lamp by Jean Perzel, France 1940's
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Antwerp, Antwerp
Signed Art Deco table lamp by Jean Perzel, executed in patinated brass with an opaline glass and metal shade. The lamp presents a disciplined architectural composition, defined by a ...
Metal, Brass
Pair of Vintage French Art Deco Model 509 Lamps by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in London, GB
A stunning pair of vintage French Art Deco model 509 lamps by Jean Perzel. They were originally designed in 1929, this pair dates from the late twentieth century. They are beautiful...
Chrome
Fine French Mid-Century Bronze and Glass Table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jean Perzel - A fine French 1960s table lamp with a bronze base that supports the cylindrical enameled glass shade. Signed
Bronze
original 1930's Perzel art deco brass and opaline table lamp model "509"
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
French art deco desk lamp, model "509 bis" from the 1930s by Perzel. Solid brass base resting on a round brass pedestal. Shade in perforated solid brass and white frosted glass. Quit...
Brass
Art Deco Aluminum Table Lamp by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Jean Perzel, this Art Deco lamp consists of an aluminum body, aluminum shade, and frosted glass head. It has a single-bulb socket and cord-switch. Dimensions: 28 in. ...
Aluminum
Large Fine French Art Deco Desk/Table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jean Perzel - Rare - because of its size (H 28" x Diam 18") and also because it was made with "jaspé" metal used during World War II instead of bronze or brass - table/desk lamp wit...
Metal
Model 162 table lamp by Jean Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Henley-on Thames, Oxfordshire
Vintage version of model 162 table lamp created by Jean Perzel in 1927-1928. This version bespoke made in the 1980s. Often chosen by the great architects and decorators of the time (Michel Roux...
Brass
Sold
H 11.03 in W 22.05 in D 4.73 in
Art Deco Table Lamp Wall Light Perzel Années 40 Glass and Gold Bronze, G104
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
French art deco table lamp by designer Jean Perzel from the 40s. Solid brass structure, lampshade created with two arched white and smoked glasses (the latter made to measure). Table...
Brass
Fine French Art Deco Bronze and Glass Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jean Perzel - A fine French architectural table lamp with a bronze base that supports the glass shades.
Bronze
Fine French Mid-Century Glass and Bronze Table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
A rare fine French 1950's table lamp by Jean Perzel with a white glass bowl attached on three gilded bronze legs.
Bronze
A Fine French Art Deco Bronze and Raffia Table Lamp by Perzel
By Atelier Jean Perzel
Located in Long Island City, NY
A fine and rare French Art Deco table lamp by Jean Perzel with a bronze base and a raffia covered metal shade that seats on an opaline glass diffuser.
Bronze