A Chandelier by Koloman Moser in the Light of Beauty


03/02/2022

This rare hanging lamp showcases Koloman Moser’s talent and the humanist ideas of the Wiener Werkstätte.



by Caroline Legrand

Attributed to Koloman Moser (1868–1918) and the Bakalowits & Söhne factory, hammered brass seven-light hanging lamp with cords, opalescent and frosted glass, h. 100 cm/39.37 in, diam. 35 cm/13.78 in. Estimate: €4,000/6,000
"Contact with beautiful objects makes us more beautiful," said architect Josef Hoffmann , who founded the Wiener Werkstätte in 1903 with Koloman Moser and financier Fritz Waerndorfer. Such is the effect that the light diffused by this chandelier should have on its lucky owner. At the end of elegant, stretched cords featuring small white spheres, lights with metal cones pierced by three holes enclose conical frosted glass shades and five pastilles of red glass. The lamp was discovered in a house near Lyon where other Austrian, German and English Art Nouveau  and Arts and Crafts  works were also found. It had been taken down and forgotten, but fortunately packed in protective crates. The fixture is entirely intact with all its original parts, notably the beads. A piece like this is rare in the French market. Click here to read more!