ART DECO
MARTELL GALLERY
Christofle
Pair of Art Deco Silver-Plate Vases by Luc Lanel for Christofle, 1930
Silver-plated metal, ebonized wood, Stamped "Christofle" with maker's
Good vintage condition, consistent with age.
Good vintage condition, consistent with age.
A2223
A striking pair of Art Deco vases in silver-plated metal, designed by Luc Lanel for the celebrated French silversmiths Christofle. Each vase has a deep, tapering ovoid bowl rising from...
A striking pair of Art Deco vases in silver-plated metal, designed by Luc Lanel for the celebrated French silversmiths Christofle. Each vase has a deep, tapering ovoid bowl rising from a spherical ebonized wood socle, banded with fine reeded/ribbed silver detailing at the rim that gives way to a high-polish mirrored lower body — a hallmark contrast of texture and reflection typical of Lanel's work for Christofle. The vases sit on stepped circular silver-plate bases with a reeded edge echoing the rim treatment. The pair is graduated in scale, the taller vase slightly more pronounced in its proportions, designed to be displayed together. The undersides are stamped with the Christofle maker's mark.
Lanel's clean geometric silhouettes and use of ebony against gleaming silver plate were part of a design vocabulary he developed for both domestic tableware and, notably, for the first-class dining and bar services of French ocean liners of the era — work that captures the glamour and modernity of French Art Deco design at its peak.
Luc Lanel (French, 1893–1965) trained at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and worked in silver, silver plate, and bronze, including for the design house Süe et Mare before joining Christofle in 1920, where he became head of the electroplating (orfèvrerie) department. At Christofle, Lanel became one of the firm's most celebrated in-house designers, developing a distinctive body of Art Deco silverware — vases, centerpieces, tea services, barware, and dinanderie objects — characterized by bold geometric forms, reeded and ribbed banding, and contrasts between polished silver and dark ebonized wood or lacquer. His designs were used aboard the great French transatlantic ocean liners of the 1930s, including for first-class dining and bar service, cementing his reputation as a defining silversmith of the French Art Deco movement.
Lanel's clean geometric silhouettes and use of ebony against gleaming silver plate were part of a design vocabulary he developed for both domestic tableware and, notably, for the first-class dining and bar services of French ocean liners of the era — work that captures the glamour and modernity of French Art Deco design at its peak.
Luc Lanel (French, 1893–1965) trained at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and worked in silver, silver plate, and bronze, including for the design house Süe et Mare before joining Christofle in 1920, where he became head of the electroplating (orfèvrerie) department. At Christofle, Lanel became one of the firm's most celebrated in-house designers, developing a distinctive body of Art Deco silverware — vases, centerpieces, tea services, barware, and dinanderie objects — characterized by bold geometric forms, reeded and ribbed banding, and contrasts between polished silver and dark ebonized wood or lacquer. His designs were used aboard the great French transatlantic ocean liners of the 1930s, including for first-class dining and bar service, cementing his reputation as a defining silversmith of the French Art Deco movement.
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