Early 20th Century French Art Deco Pendant Chandelier Signed by Hanots

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A French Art Deco chandelier created and signed by the glass manufacturer Verrerie des Hanots. The center shade, measuring 11.75" … Read more A French Art Deco chandelier created and signed by the glass manufacturer Verrerie des Hanots. The center shade, measuring 11.75" diameter by 6.5" deep, is molded in clear frosted glass with an intricate geometric grape and swag motif. Three matching glass shades surround the center held by bronze struts cast with a streamlined design. Three bronze architectural rods support the chandelier and finish with a simple bronze canopy.


In 1822, Augustin Fresnel invents the eponymous lens. It allows the diffraction of the light and the control of the light distribution. In 1893, André Blondel invents the prismatic glass molding, on the principle of the Fresnel lens. The invention is patented under the name "Holophane" whose Greek roots mean "harmonious distribution of light". In 1898, Otis Mygatt, an American businessman, buys the patent and creates two companies on each side of the Atlantic for the production and sale of Holophane products: Holophane Glass Co. (USA): manufacturing / sales, and Holophane Limited (UK): sale.

The year 1920 sees the birth of Holophane SA. The English company (Holophane Limited) joins forces with a French industrialist to create a production site and installs glassware in Les Andelys. Holophane SA is born.

Les Andelys are located in Normandy, near Paris and the Seine. The glass factory moves into the buildings of an old factory, first dedicated to woodwork, then cloth.

In the 1920s, Holophane builds its development on the glass mastery of collaborators from eastern France, including Baccarat.

The target markets are: public lighting, art glassware under the brand Verrerie des Hanots, optical blocks for the service of lighthouses and beacons, road signs, projectors and flat headlights for cars.

The Verrerie des Hanots creates high quality molded glass lightings. Most shades created by Verrerie des Hanots go unsigned. See less