Antique French Brass Adjustable Desk Lamp, Signed Vianne Pâte de Verre Shade — France, Mid-20th Century

The adjustable brass desk lamp was one of the quietly brilliant inventions of the early twentieth century. Unlike the fixed column lamp or the wall sconce, it solved a working problem: the reader, the writer, the draughtsman needed light that could follow them — raised or lowered, swung left or right, directed precisely where the work was. The best French examples paired the mechanical intelligence of the articulated stem with a shade in pâte de verre, the glass paste technique that the great French studios had developed at the turn of the century specifically because its diffused, warm light was easier on the eye than clear glass or bare bulb.

This lamp is French, mid-twentieth century, in polished brass with a signed Vianne pâte de verre shade. The base is a weighted circular drum — stable enough to hold the articulated stem at any extension — from which a telescoping column rises, adjustable in height by a side-mounted locking collar, and crowned with a ring handle for repositioning. From the column, a gooseneck arm sweeps outward and curves downward to the socket, the arm itself adjustable left and right so that the light can be directed independently of the stem height. The shade is a tulip form in amber pâte de verre, signed Vianne — the Vianne glassworks in the Lot-et-Garonne, which produced art glass shades for the French lighting trade throughout the mid-century, their work recognisable by the warmth and slight translucency of the paste and the clean, unflashy forms they favoured. Note how the amber of the shade deepens toward the base and lightens at the rim — the graduation that results from the pâte de verre process, in which the glass paste is built up in layers of varying density, and the detail that no pressed or blown glass can replicate.

Whoever kept this lamp before you gave it a good life. The brass is sound and bright; the shade is intact with no chips or cracks; the articulation works smoothly throughout. It arrives fully rewired and ready to use, plug adapted to your country at no charge.

It arrives professionally packed and fully insured. All duties and import charges are our responsibility — you pay nothing beyond the listed price. Returns are accepted within 30 days.

DETAILS:
Size: Height approximately 44 cm (17.3 in) · Arm reach approximately 25 cm (9.8 in) · Shade height approximately 7 cm (2.8 in) — as read from photos
Material: polished brass base, stem and arm; amber pâte de verre tulip shade signed Vianne
Style/Period: French, mid-20th century
Sockets: one — fully rewired and ready to use; plug adapted to your country (US/UK/EU) at no extra charge
Lampshades: Vianne pâte de verre tulip shade included
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide — all import duties paid by us, nothing to settle on delivery
Condition: very good; brass sound and bright; shade intact, no chips or cracks; articulation smooth throughout
Returns: accepted within 30 days

Read our condition standard. Please ask if you need additional photographs or measurements.

Worldwide delivery is included in the price. Every piece is individually packed, tracked and fully insured. No shipping charge is added at checkout. If your destination is not listed, please contact us before ordering.

Maison Jaspers pays US tariffs and import duties. For other destinations, local import taxes and duties may apply and are payable by the recipient. Contact us before ordering if you need destination-specific guidance.

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Notify us within 30 days of delivery if you wish to return a piece. No reason is required. You pay return shipping for a change-of-mind return.

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