Elevation and Plan for a Chandelier with Eight (Electric?) Candles (No.15947.A)

Elevation and plan for a chandelier, made by the Parisian firm of Edgar Brandt. The design is part of a group of fourteen drawings on transfer paper containing presentation drawings and specification drawings for a range of different types of furniture, but predominantly focused on tables and lighting fixtures. Among the tables there are designs for freestanding tables, console tables, and rolling bar carts. The lighting fixtures can be divided in chandeliers and wall sconces, some meant for candles, others for electrical light. Many of the drawings have inscriptions detailing measurements and/or scale, and for the majority a serial number is provided as well, which allows for the identification of surviving pieces of furniture.

Edgar Brandt graduated from the École Nationale Professionelle de Vierzon in 1898. He opened a small atelier in Paris in 1901 where he began to produce jewelry after his own designs. Over time, he expanded his activities to include furniture with wrought-iron fixtures, lamps, and mounts for glass and ceramics in collaboration with René Lalique and Sèvres. An important turning point came in 1906, when he was commissioned to create the stair bannister for the Hôtel de Ville in Euville. It was this type of monumental, architectural ironwork that would establish his name on an international stage. His status was cemented further through his participation in the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in 1925. In the same year, he opened the Galerie Edgar Brandt at 27 Boulevard Malesherbes where he exhibited works of his peers alongside his own designs. In the years leading up to World War II, he opened a large factory complex outside of Paris, and operated from offices in Paris, New York, and London. During the 1920s and 1930s, Brandt’s iron work was internationally acclaimed and of great influence on other artists, especially in the United States. Due to his expertise in cast and wrought-iron work, Brandt was also involved in the war effort, both during the First and Second World War. During the 1950s, he was called on to apply his skills to the restoration efforts of historic iron work.