Ref. 2182

Paul Kiss

(attributed to)

Neo-Gothic Chandelier “with Salamanders”

France

Circa 1925

Wrought iron

Height : 82 cm (32,3 in.) ; Diameter : 59,5 cm (23,4 in.)

Neo-gothic style chandelier with four light arms typical of the art ironwork of the Art Deco period. The square central shaft, whose faces are decorated with punched circular motifs, has at its top four large flat iron scrolls that unfold. The middle section is adorned with four repoussé iron shields representing salamanders in relief, surmounted by pointed details evoking crowns or fleurs-de-lis. Underneath these shields, two smooth rings with a coppery hue encircle the shaft, initiating a material contrast that extends over the top of the horizontal arms, themselves covered with a similar metal band. These arms, supported by thick scrolls, hold at their extremities light arms in the shape of torches made of a geometric repetition of small flat iron scrolls.

Biography

Paul Kiss (1885-1962) was a master ironworker of Romanian origin who became one of the major figures of Art Deco in France. Active in Paris from the 1920s, he distinguished himself with a rigorous and geometric style, sublimating hammered wrought iron by often associating it with contrasting details in bronze or copper. Particularly famous for his interior ironwork and his very refined lighting fixtures, he achieved public acclaim at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925, definitively establishing himself as one of the greatest creators of the interwar period.