1 'of 2' 1970 Germany Palwa Tear Drop Chandelier Murano Glass and Brass

The Bohemian tradition of opulent handcrafted crystal lighting begins with the Palme name. Founded in 1724 in Parchen, Bohemia (Austria-Hungary), Christoph Palme & Co. was initially named for lighting designer Josef Palme, who created crystal chandeliers by hand for the likes of King Louis XV and Austrian royalty. (A venturesome style of chandelier with no central supporting post was created during the era for Austrian Empress Maria Theresa before she was crowned Queen of Bohemia in 1743 — now known as the Maria Theresa chandelier — and Josef Palme created fixtures in this style.)

When Josef died in the mid-18th century, his younger brother Christoph took the helm of the family-owned company, and the brand has retained the name since then. 

Over time, Christoph Palme chandeliers and other lighting fixtures could be found in the living quarters of Russian Tsarina Elizabeth, Turkish Sultan Oman III and the decadent palaces of the kings of Saudi Arabia. In the postwar years, Palme lighting facilities trading under a range of names opened in West Germany, including Reinhold Palme & Sohne, Palme & Walter, Gerhard Palme and Christoph Palme Leuchten.

A handful of electric chandeliers manufactured by Christoph Palme & Co. were installed in the East Room of the White House during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, owing to Edward F. Caldwell & Co. having commissioned the historic manufacturer to create the fixtures. That Manhattan’s Edward F. Caldwell & Co. partnered with Christoph Palme lighting shouldn’t surprise collectors; the New York City firm was a leading electric lighting company whose own quality, elegant fixtures borrowed heavily from Baroque, Rococo and other historical styles.

Chandeliers have evolved over time, but their classic elegance has remained unchanged. Not only will the right chandelier prove impressive in a given room, but it can also offer a certain sense of practicality. 

In the modern era, the work of Christoph Palme & Co. has reflected changing tastes and an effort to preserve and uphold the sterling reputation of the centuries-old manufacturer. Brass and gold-plated mid-century modern designs were occasionally outfitted with an exquisite array of Swarovski crystals that dazzled in daylight, while partnerships with Venini and Palwa during the 1960s and 1970s yielded magnificent Hollywood Regency-style sconces and flush mount ceiling lights. These drew on natural forms and often featured an integration of clear Murano glass “drops” mounted on gilt-brass frames. 

On 1stDibs, find antique and vintage Christoph Palme lighting.

Beginning in the 1930s — and throughout the postwar years especially — Venini & Co. played a leading role in the revival of Italy’s high-end glass industry, pairing innovative modernist designers with the skilled artisans who created extraordinary chandeliers, sconces and other lighting in the centuries-old glass workshops on the Venetian island of Murano.

While the company’s co-founder, Paolo Venini (1895–1959), was himself a highly talented glassware designer, his true genius was to invite forward-thinking Italian and international designers to Murano’s hallowed workshops to create Venini pieces — among them Gio Ponti, Massimo Vignelli, Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala, Thomas Stearns of the United States and Fulvio Bianconi.

Paolo Venini trained and practiced as a lawyer for a time, though his family had been involved with glassmaking for generations. After initially buying a share in a Venetian glass firm — he and antiques dealer Giacomo Cappellin established Vetri Soffiati Cappellin Venini & C. in 1921 — Venini took over the company as his own in 1925, and under his direction, it produced mainly classical Baroque designs.

In 1932, Venini hired the young Carlo Scarpa— who would later distinguish himself as an architect — as his lead designer. Scarpa, working in concert with practiced glass artisans, completely modernized Venini, introducing simple, pared-down forms; bright primary colors; and bold patterns such as stripes, banding and abstract compositions that utilized cross sections of murrine (glass rods).

Paolo Venini’s best designs are thought to be his two-color Clessidre hourglasses, produced from 1957 onward, and the Fazzoletto (“handkerchief”) vase, designed with Bianconi in 1949. Bianconi’s masterworks are considered by many to be his Pezzato works — colorful vases with patterns that resemble those of a patchwork quilt.

Other noteworthy and highly collectible vintage Venini works include Ponti’s dual-tone stoppered bottles (circa 1948); rare glass sculptures from the Doge series by Stearns, the first American to design for the firm; Vignelli’s striped lanterns of the 1960s; the Occhi vases with eyelet-shaped patterns by Tobia Scarpa (son of Carlo); and, with their almost zen purity, the Bolle (“bubbles”) bottles designed by Wirkkala in 1968. 

With these works — and many others by some of the creative titans of the 20th and 21st centuries — Venini has produced one of the truly great bodies of work in modern design.

Find antique and vintage Venini chandeliers, serveware, table lamps, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.