Muller Frères was a family-owned glassworks that is best known for its striking designs produced in the Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles. The French company’s chandeliers, vases, lamps and other glass pieces created in the latter style — which were largely characterized by elegantly crafted natural-world motifs and subtle, organic forms — are highly sought after and make for distinctive additions to any space.
Henri Muller opened the company with four of his brothers in Lunéville, during a time that saw the modernizing Art Nouveau movement in the decorative arts develop countrywide as well as in Britain. It quickly became a dominant aesthetic style in Western Europe and the United States. Muller’s sister and an additional three brothers later joined the business.
The Muller family custom-ordered glass blanks from a glassworks near Nancy. The brothers learned about glass design from Émile Gallé, an innovative pioneer in glass artistry who would become a leading light of Art Nouveau. The style, which spanned furniture, architecture, jewelry and graphic design — can be easily identified by its lush, flowing forms suggested by flowers and plants, as well as the lissome tendrils of sea life. The earliest works by Muller Frères, which were often crafted in cameo glass, are strongly demonstrative of Gallé’s style and influence.
After a period that saw a pause in production owing to World War I, the company saw considerable success.
Muller Frères employed several hundred people at its commercial peak, when the Art Deco style of the 1920s, which was brought to international attention at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, was popularized by the likes of René Lalique, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jules Leleu. Authentic Muller Frères Art Deco sconces and pendants and hanging lamps featured sculptural wrought iron frames and saw an integration of high-polished nickel plating, bronze, frosted glass and silver leaf.
Find antique Muller Frères lighting, decorative objects and serveware on 1stDibs.
| Average Sold Price |
| $2,674 |
| Styles |
| Materials |
| Related Creators |
Muller Frères Art Deco Pendant Light
By Muller Frères
Located in NANTES, FR
Art Deco pendant light, circa 1930. Molded-pressed glass bowl featuring a bird motif. Red patina. Bronze mount. Electrified, 3 lights, B22 sockets. In perfect condition. Total heigh...
Bronze
$23,000
H 42.52 in Dm 30.71 in
Muller Freres & Andre Kovacs Large French Art Deco Pink Chandelier, 1920
By Muller Frères
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
This exceptional French Art Deco chandelier was created in the late 1920s through a remarkable collaboration between Muller Frères of Lunéville and Parisian artistic ironworker André Kovacs. Monumental, sculptural, and extremely rare, the fixture is entirely decorated with stylized peacocks, a celebrated motif of the Art Deco period. The chandelier features five molded glass shades by Muller Frères: four spherical outer shades surrounding a larger central globe. Each shade is decorated with six elegant peacocks in relief. The four outer lights are suspended from hand-worked wrought-iron supports shaped as peacocks, precisely echoing the decoration of the glass. Four additional iron peacocks appear around the upper frame beneath the canopy, creating an unusually cohesive and theatrical composition. Each glass shade bears two Muller Frères signatures: “Muller Frères Lunéville” molded beneath the base and “Muller Fres Lunéville” acid-etched near the neck. André Kovacs (1876–1957) was born in Párkány, then part of Ottoman Hungary, and settled in France at the beginning of the 20th century. Working from Paris, he became known for his hammered wrought-iron ornamentation and received numerous distinctions, including a gold medal at the 1905 Liège Universal Exhibition. During the late 1920s, Kovacs produced refined lighting fixtures combining his metalwork with molded and pressed glass by Muller Frères. The glass rims display several small chips and one open bubble, typical manufacturing and age-related characteristics that remain concealed by the metal mounts. Overall condition is very good. This museum-quality French Art Deco peacock chandelier...
Wrought Iron
Muller Frères Art Deco Chandelier, Brass & Glass, France, 1920s
By Muller Frères
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
A superb French Art Deco chandelier by Muller Frères, Croismare, created in France during the late 1920s, this elegant ceiling fixture beautifully reflects the innovation and artisti...
Brass
Muller Frères Art Deco Chandelier, Glass & Wrought Iron, France, 1920s
By Muller Frères
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
This exceptional French Art Deco chandelier by Muller Frères Lunéville is a remarkable example of the artistry and innovation that made the celebrated French glassmaker one of the le...
Wrought Iron
Muller Freres French Art Deco Pendant Chandelier, 1920
By Muller Frères
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
This exceptional French Art Deco chandelier was created by Muller Frères in France during the 1920s. Renowned for its refined glasswork and elegant lighting designs, the Muller Frère...
Brass, Bronze
Muller Frères Art Deco Chandelier, Frosted Glass & Iron, France 1925
By Muller Frères
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
French Art Deco Chandelier by Muller Frères, Lunéville, France, circa 1925 An exceptional example of French Art Deco lighting, this magnificent chandelier was created by the legenda...
Wrought Iron
Art Deco Chandelier by Muller Frères & Marcel Vasseur, France, 1920
By Muller Frères, Marcel Vasseur
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
A French Art Deco masterpiece dating from circa 1920, this exceptional chandelier brings together the talents of two of the most celebrated names of the French decorative arts: Mulle...
Wrought Iron
Muller Frères Pair of Art Deco Wall Sconces
By Muller Frères
Located in NANTES, FR
Pair of Art Deco wall sconces, circa 1925. Wrought iron frame, glass shades signed Muller Frères. Wired, B22 socket. In perfect condition. Total height: 32 cm Width: 10.5 cm Depth: ...
Wrought Iron
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| $2,674 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $545-$13,742 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |