LOUIS MAJORELLE & DAUM | Nénuphars table lamp

gilt patinated bronze and dichroic glass

Roselyne Bouvier, Majorelle, une aventure moderne, Paris, 1991, p. 45 for a related example
Alastair Duncan, Louis Majorelle, Master of Art Nouveau design, London, 1991, pl. 120 and p. 149 
Alastair Duncan, The Paris Salon 1895-1914, Volume III : Furniture, Woodbridge, 1996, p. 419
Julius Hoffmann jr., Der Moderne Style 1899-1905, Stuttgart, 2006, p. 197
Majorelle, un art de vivre moderne, exhibition catalogue, Galeries Poirel, Ville de Nancy & Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy, May 2 - August 30, 2009, pp. 142-143 for a related example

Good overall condition. The glass shades presents with a few rare and light scratches, inherent to the setting and not visually distracting. There are some light surface soiling with some tiny dirt spots. The gilt patinated bronze base presents with a few scratches, a few scuffs, and with some tarnishing, some stains, some tiny oxidation stains scattered and some vert-de-gris stains, some of them visible on the catalogue illustration, all consistent with age and use. There are some tiny white paint stains on the upper part of the base. Sotheby's does not guarantee electrical components and suggests having all wiring inspected by a licensed electrician.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

An essential element of interior design and furniture pieces, the creation of electrical equipment such as lamps began at the end of the 19th century. They were such a success that artists and decorators competed to create the most talented and original models, in proof of their modernity.Louis Majorelle provided his studios with a space devoted to metalwork in 1890. He first made elements in bronze, copper and wrought iron which enlivened the furniture pieces. However, the rise of the "Electricity Fairy" opened a new field for the development of all kinds of lighting. Majorelle quickly made several lamps with great joy. Thus, the idea of a collaboration with the Daum company imagined in 1900 at the time of the World Exhibition in Paris, rapidly took shape in the first presentations at the Salon of French Artists in 1902. The first version of the Water Lilly lamp already featured. The following year, a showcase at the exhibition of the Nancy School in the Pavillon de Marsan presented a group of table lamps produced jointly by Majorelle and the Daum Brothers which definitively confirmed the success of this fruitful association as much on an aesthetic level as on an economical one, as can be perceived in the commercial catalogues.

The model of another Water Lilly lamp featured in this display and it is this version that is presented at auction today. It is a beautiful work, the habitually rigid form of the glass here takes on the fluid texture of the flower. The bronze, also a rigid material, is sculpted into a dynamic movement. The presence of frogs on the base, as if swimming and joyfully splashing in water reveal a naturalism still present in Majorelle's vocabulary.

The artist's aim is firstly aesthetic in response to the fantasy of the "electrical soul". The object transforms into a living symbol and the material into coloured sensations. Form and materials replace the plant, in an expression of the artist's imagination and a harmony of glass and metal which embodies the complementary aspect of their different practices. Louis Majorelle chose the metal base, he designed the lines and forms as well as the design of the glass globe. The harmony is thus perfect. The floral globe lies supplely on the wide bronze water lily leaves. A similar veined design joins them together. The foot is made of the same stems and prolongs the graphic effect. The delicate matching colours, the stylised design of the ribbed plant veins, the dynamic rise of the lines reveal both great refinement and elegance.

This successful lamp model which best embodies Louis Majorelle's talent was widely reproduced. Indeed, the collaboration between Daum and Majorelle was part of an industrial production in the service of "an art for all". Most of the lamps presented in 1903 were produced for many years, with different variations, with or without the frogs (the model at the Musée d'Orsay), a base in gold-plated bronze or in black patinated wrought iron (two models from the Neess collection recently deposited at the Musée de Wiesbaden) or finally a lightshade in the form of a hat with a pattern of water lilies. These objects are exceptional pieces, combining metal and glass in harmonious forms, which still enchant today.

Roselyne Bouvier, October 2019