Serge Mouille Floor Lamp Lampadaire, France, 1953
View Similar Items
Serge Mouille Floor Lamp Lampadaire, France, 1953
About the Item
- Creator:Serge Mouille (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 63.78 in (162 cm)Width: 28.75 in (73 cm)Length: 63.78 in (162 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1953
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Greding, DE
- Reference Number:Seller: 181-04001stDibs: LU1014222560402
Serge Mouille
Instantly recognizable by their long slender armatures and domed, ovoid shades, the best-known floor lamps and other lighting fixtures of Serge Mouille have become emblems of the organic design of the mid-20th century. Along with Jean Prouvé, Mathieu Matégot and others, Mouille brought a fresh, modern aesthetic to metalwork, one of the most tradition-bound mediums in the decorative arts.
Mouille (pronounced: MWEE) was born to a working Parisian family. At age 15, he took up studies in the metalworking atelier of that École des Arts Appliqués, under the tutelage of the goldsmith and sculptor Gabriel Lacroix. After graduating, in 1941, Mouille worked in Lacroix’s studio and began teaching at his alma mater four years later.
In the early 1950s, bothered by the preponderance of new Italian lamps and chandeliers on the market and consumed with the belief that fixtures by Gino Sarfatti and others were unnecessarily complex, Mouille opened a lighting-design workshop. He quickly won commissions from several French schools and libraries. In 1956, the influential Paris gallerist Steph Simon — who also promoted Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand and Isamu Noguchi — began to show Mouille designs, introducing his work to private collectors. Mouille would continue making handcrafted lighting fixtures at a slow but steady pace until 1964, when he stopped working to begin a long course of treatment for tuberculosis. When it was completed, Mouille returned to teaching at the École des Arts Appliqués for the remainder of his career.
With the biomorphic shades and long armatures of his fixtures, Mouille created one of the most engaging and idiosyncratic lighting aesthetics of his time. Though often described as “insect-like,” his pieces have more in common with the fluid, buoyant forms in the paintings of Jean Arp. (Mouille designed several cylindrical or columnar lamps; though highly collectible, those are interesting outliers in his body of work.)
As with Prouvé’s folded metal forms and Matégot’s perforated steel, Mouille brought a novel lightness and energy to metal furnishings. Since Mouille’s designs found renewed popularity in the early 2000s, licensed re-editions of his pieces are being produced. The disparity in price between vintage and current-day Mouille pieces is great. Older works — identification tip: the interior white reflective enameling has a yellowish cast — cost $20,000 to $40,000, and newer pieces go for 10 to 20 percent less than that. As you will see on these pages, Serge Mouille created icons of 20th century design — at once sleek, suave and friendly — that belong in any modern decor.
Find vintage Serge Mouille table lamps, chandeliers and other lighting on 1stDibs.
- Serge Mouille, Table Lamp Agrafée Deux Rotules, France, 1958By Serge MouilleLocated in Greding, DESerge Mouille Agrafée table lamp with clamp fastening and two ball joints. Designed in 1958. Prov.: The lamp comes from a large collection bought in Paris in the 1980s. Cf. lit.: Pie...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Art Deco Floor Lamp, France, circa 1920Located in Greding, DEFloor lamp on a round stepped base with studded stem and brass sockets. Stained oak. Measure of the foot: Ø 40 cm, lampshade: Ø 60cm. The lamp shade is new.Category
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Floor Lamps
MaterialsOak
- Floor Lamp, Italy, 1960sLocated in Greding, DEFloor lamp on disc base with central shelf and round lampshade. Wood, brass and metal, partially painted red.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
$1,965 - Chrome Floor Lamp, Italy 1970sLocated in Greding, DEFloor lamp with vase-shaped base and five arms with round lampshades, reminiscent of a stylised flower bouquet.Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Fontana Arte Floor Lamp, Italy 1980sBy Fontana ArteLocated in Greding, DEFloor lamp with brass conical lampshade and flat glass stem over square base.Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Floor Lamp, Italy 20th CenturyLocated in Greding, DEFloor lamp on round base with chrome frame and white lampshade. Signs of age and use.Category
20th Century Italian Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Editions Serge Mouille 'Lampadaire 3 Bras Pivotants' Floor LampBy Serge Mouille, Editions Serge MouilleLocated in Glendale, CAEditions Serge Mouille 'Lampadaire 3 Bras Pivotants' floor lamp. Originally designed in 1952, this iconic lamp is still made by Editions Serge Mouille in France using many of the sam...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Steel, Brass
- Editions Serge Mouille 'Lampadaire Droit' Floor Lamp in BlackBy Serge Mouille, Editions Serge MouilleLocated in Glendale, CAEditions Serge Mouille 'Lampadaire Droit' floor lamp in black. Originally designed in 1953, this iconic lamp is still made by Editions Serge Mouille i...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Steel, Brass
- Editions Serge Mouille 'Lampadaire Droit' Floor Lamp in WhiteBy Serge Mouille, Editions Serge MouilleLocated in Glendale, CAEditions Serge Mouille 'Lampadaire Droit' floor lamp in white. Originally designed in 1953, this iconic lamp is still made by Editions Serge Mouille i...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsAluminum, Brass, Steel
- Floor lamp by Serge Mouille, 1st edition, 1953By Serge MouilleLocated in Lasne, BEFloor lamp in black metal by Serge Mouille. This is the first edition made in 1953. Wear due to time and age.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Serge Mouille - Small Totem Floor LampBy Serge MouilleLocated in Stratford, CTIn his post black shapes period, Serge Mouille experimented with color and columns. With the TOTEM, he stacked cylindrical shades around a central lighting element. By alternating th...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
$9,995 / item - Serge Mouille - Large Signal Floor LampBy Serge MouilleLocated in Stratford, CTSteel pedestals featuring a combination of incandescent and fluorescent lighting. Each glows through rhythmical cuts in solid panes. The upper part is composed of four elements take...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsSteel
$11,830 / item