Featured French Art Deco Glass by Maurice Model

I've been fortunate to have owned several highly desirable items by Maurice Model, as I have been studying is work closely for well over 30 years. He is a relatively little known French working artist which is mainly due to his factory being demolished during WWII just 9 years after he founded it. A school now sits on the site in Verdun, where they also showcase a very small collection of his work.

His work as also often been dismissed or overlooked because of the way many of his items are signed. His name is pronounced "Mod-dell" however his signature (when it is evident) appears to be MODEL as if to be 'a model of something.'

Most of his work was also produced for export only to USA and also surprisingly perhaps to Japan during the mid 1930s. It has also been generally thought over the years that he only produced a small variety of glass car hood mascots which has added to his other items being overlooked, such as some incredible lamps & chandeliers, clocks and also sculptures, many of which are unique. I have also been able to establish that designed several large sculpture patterns for Sabino, and that he was also responsible for at least one glass vase design for Etling. More recently one of his vases was produced using an original mould in USA by Sarsaparilla, examples of which often appear on eBay for less than $50 however, original examples of this particular vase can command prices of $500+

I've added a few photo's of several examples from my collection, and also of a Maurice Model amethyst glass Chandelier which I am currently purchasing on a Layaway plan. It is exceptionally rare and is thought to be unique. Single pendant examples in peach-coloured glass can be found online with prices exceeding $6,500.

Maurice MODEL French Art Deco Mermaid Pendant Chandelier, 1930s : Art Deco Ceramic Glass Light | Ruby Lane

Very few glass producing factories introduced amethyst glass during the 1930s. Its colouring agent is predominantly Manganese which is very strong & unstable, difficult to control, and can easily result in the glass turning completely Black and/or render it without any translucency.

*I apologise in advance to those who may find the watermarks on my photo's annoying. However, I learned a valuable lesson during my time on Ruby Lane, when some ape of a scoundrel copied & pasted several of my photo's on eBay and was actually selling My items as if they were his at inflated prices. He would then purchase the piece from me and pass it on to his buyer, without my knowledge and to the extent of taking their cash and running off with it. This in turn, led back to my shop due to the rarity & value of the items involved. "Once bitten twice shy." AMEN

A rare vase designed by Model for Etling




Shown above with examples by Carrillo, and Lucile Sevin for Etling


A very rare & desirable clock by Model. The original clock movement as been replaced with a modern-day quartz.



"Crinoline" pattern lady sculpture by Model




Designed by Model, produced by Sarsaparilla, USA


Exceptionally rare 5-light Mermaid chandelier by Model




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Continued:

Car hood mascot by Model
Also known to be produced in opalescent glass
and as a lamp.


Not all items are signed, and some examples will not carry the word FRANCE
or his first initial "M"


​

 

That chandelier made me gasp out loud ! Fabulous !

 

It's costing me an arm and a leg, but its an investment for my daughter.

 

Very nice and you take excellent photos.

 

Thank You I tend to use a Black background & cloth covered table when listing items for sale. Then its a case of pointing the camera and hoping for the best! My hands can shake real bad at times...

 

Wow!

 

M. Model


Research on perfume bottles is rather like a race between two tortoises. Slow and even slower sets the pace. The first time I was aware of Model glass was the 1991 Perfume Bottle Auction of Monsen & Baer. At this point in perfume bottle history sometimes the word “Model” was read as “Modele” (sic). Randy & Rod had two examples in that auction and I bought neither of them, but I was sensitized to that wording in glass - “Modele France”.

I began searching for more information about the company and found nothing and it didn’t help that the word “Model” or “Modele” was included, since I got all varieties of information about small scale items and other similar uses of the word model. The term used by Wikipedia is “disambiguation”. “Disambiguation” means that a word has many meanings that can only be determined by context.

Time marched on and I managed to buy the most common (again a misnomer) example of Model glass which is the mahout riding the elephant. This deco perfume bottle is on the grand scale with the archetypical flat planes of deco design. He is wonderful and available in numerous colors of glass (opalescent, clear, black and teal). On the bottom in raised lettering is “Model France”. I saw at this point that the name lacked that final “e”. Next I acquired a frosted glass sachet jar that is a cherub on a barrel entwined with grapes. The marking on this example was just about impossible to see, but I felt it had to be there and after very close scrutiny in raking sunlight I found it embossed on the bottom. Two down and more to go was my feeling. And where were my three ships I had missed at the Monsen & Baer auction?

The next example came from my collection and just shows how it pays to re-examine old acquisitions periodically. That girl-with-an-urn type has more family members that a Smith family reunion. I had not really examined her that closely since I bought her years ago at an IPBA convention. I saw the paper Narcissus label and hence was sure she wasn’t a liquor bottle, since many of her cousins are. When I pulled her out of my collection for a visit, I found she was marked “Model France” - now that is a great way to add to your collection!

As to the other Model example of the sailing ships in the auction, it can only be shown in an image from the catalog, since to date I have not been able to buy the three black and green sailing ships in a stand. Another example of why one should buy the antique at its first appearance, since it may not appear again.

The great thing about the march of time and research on the web is that slowly more data appears and some of it is even in English, but there is always Google Translate for French just to be sure that my brain is reading what is said correctly.

As they say on those History channel documentaries that I love, “and now we know”. Maurice Model is the name of the owner and founder of a glass maker/manufacturer in Verdun, France. The company started in the province of Lorraine about 1930. The major lines were those frosted glass panels in high deco style that were so popular then, but also the company made smaller decorative items like small glass statues, clocks and bookends. Other numerous product lines were the hanging chandeliers and wall sconces so essential to the well-dressed deco interior. Often these smaller decorative items fall into the category of Lalique (?) when they appear for sale or auction. Isn’t all quality frosted French glass Lalique?

It is unusual that a factory or glassmaker has an exact stop date, but thanks to World War II, Model does. On 15 June 1940, the factory was bombed and extensively damaged and never reopened. It is intriguing to see in online histories that the entire production of this factory was shipped abroad to the United States. Currently a woman in France is trying to produce a “catalogue raisonné” for the company. She is trying to photograph existing examples. Her name is Madeleine Martin. Stay tuned after the next commercial break for a status update on that catalogue.

So far I believe that the four examples of perfume related glass by M. Model is the entire output of dresser or vanity items, but of course the way to see if this is true is to put out this statement and stand back as more Model perfumes fall from the sky or at least that is the hope. I would love to learn of more examples or perhaps our club can support more research into this small area of the vast French glass industry.

Finally as a note the M. Model models are marked in the mold in raised letters as “M. Model France”. On some examples the leading letter of “M” and the final letters of “France” are not well registered. One of the clocks found online is reportedly marked “Maurice Model France.”

 

@ritzyvintage

@Helen Farnsworth - Great information Helen!!

 

printed in the PERFUME BOTTLE QUARTERLY as an article by me.

 

Thank you Ritzy, and Helen, for the really great articles on an obscure artist. While there may be more information out there, there's certainly enough here to begin study of the Model wares.

 

Depending on when it was in the PBQ (I joined the IPBA in 2001) I likely read the article but the information had probably retreated to the dark recesses of the brain. LOL

 

Hello,I live in France. I have a blue glass mermaid chandelier Model Mauritius unfortunately I do not have the fixation. Cordialy.

 

If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the clock. But everything is a favorite. Thank you for posting!

 

Bonjour amis passionnés d'objets d'antan.
Je me présente je suis frenchmimie amoureuse de tous ces objets qui ont vécu. J'ai une grande passion pour la période art déco et la verrerie de cette époque est l'une de mes préférées.
J'aurais aimé trouver des informations sur cette jolie veilleuse avec une statuette en verre d'un adorable petit enfant.
Il est signé M.MODEL France sur le verre et sous le socle en métal signé JAD inscrit made in France. Je pense qu'il doit dater des années 30. Je ne peux pas joindre de photos, cela me dit que le fichier est trop volumineux, désolé, je ne suis pas bon avec ça
J'ai pu lire sur ce forum qu'une Mme Madeleine MARTIN serait intéressée par des photos pour cette recherche sur ce Maurice MODEL verrier. comment lui communiquez-vous cela ?
Merci pour vos futurs renseignements.
pour l'intéressement des photos je peux communiquer mon mail pour vous les envoyer.
Chaleureusement

 

Hello @frenchmimie & welcome to the forum!!

I took the liberty of using Google to translate your post for myself & others here on the forum. I had 2 years of French in high school but that was many moons ago. The only thing I retained other than a scattering of words is I can sing happy birthday & count to 10 neither of which is very useful in everyday life.

Hello friends passionate about objects of yesteryear.
I introduce myself I am frenchmimie in love with all these objects that have lived. I have a great passion for the art deco period and glassware from that era is one of my favorites.
I wish I had found information on this cute night light with a glass statuette of an adorable little child.
It is signed M.MODEL France on the glass and under the metal base signed JAD inscribed made in France. I think it must be from the 30's. I can't attach photos, it tells me the file is too large, sorry I'm not good with that
I was able to read on this forum that a Mrs. Madeleine MARTIN would be interested in photos for this research on this Maurice MODEL glassmaker. how do you communicate this to him?
Thank you for your future information.
for the interest of the photos I can communicate my email to send them to you.
Warmly

How did you take your photos? Here are some instructions that have helped others.

Here are instructions to upload your photos, please be sure to click "Full Size" on the little thumbnails, once loaded and before hitting "post":https://www.antiquers.com/threads/posting-a-thread-and-uploading-pictures.15990/

A quick tip on posting photos iF you are using a smart phone. . .email them to yourself as 'medium' and it should resize them. Photos have to be under 1MB to post.

As far as communicating with Mrs. Madeline Martin you might want to contact Helen Farnsworth. You can do this by sending her a private message through the forum.

At the top of the page on the right you will see the word "inbox". Click on that word & it will take you to a page where you can send her a message by typing in her user ID at the top.

 

Bonjour, merci beaucoup pour votre accueil chaleureux et pour les informations.
Je vais essayer tout ça
Bon dimanche
Mimie

 

Bonjour, merci beaucoup pour votre accueil chaleureux et pour les informations.
Je vais essayer tout ça
Bon dimanche
Mimie