A Pair of Gilt and Patinated-Bronze Three-Light Wall Appliques with ‘Pineapple’ Glass Shades

The Baguès Company, located at 31, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, was founded in 1840 by Mr. Noel Baguès who started his business to cast liturgical bronzes.

By 1880 the company had expanded into the production of bronze light fixtures in response to the development of electrical lighting. Carried on by Noël’s son Eugène and grandsons Victor and Robert, Maison Baguès continued to progress, adding intricately detailed iron lighting collections in the 1920s as well as stair banisters, gates, and accessory tables.

Baguès began selling internationally in the inter war period, expanding the company’s operation to New York, Rome and Cairo. Noted for their high-end hand crafted work, such as complex carved sconces and hand-strung crystal chandeliers, Maison Baguès appealed to an elite clientele. While Baguès’ Art Deco crystal lighting fixtures drew the most attention, the company was also known for bespoke metalwork that drew commissions from important interior designers and decorating firms such as Maison Jansen and Raymond Subes.

Baguès essentially `decorated` Paris at the start of last century; including the oceanliner l’Atlantique, the 1925 Paris Exposition Universelle, the 1934 Salon de la Lumiere and the 1937 Exposition Universelle des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne.

Maison Baguès remains today as an emblem of French sophistication.