The name Jean Perzel is enough to evoke the artistic lighting fixtures that have made his international reputation. As early as 1923, the young glass painter began sketching the outlines of the Art Deco style. Since then, his exceptional lamps, majestic chandeliers, wall sconces, ceiling lights, pendant lights and floor lamps have never ceased to renew themselves. Cultivating their know-how as much as their creativity, Ateliers Jean Perzel have accustomed us to creating exceptional pieces. With one common denominator: the manufacturing excellence that is the company’s signature. To celebrate the centenary of Ateliers Jean Perzel, Jean-Jacques Wattel has dedicated a book to them, published by Éditions Louvre Victoire and delicately entitled “L’efficacité de la Lumière”. It’s a fine way of engraving in stone all the talent of this company, which has been awarded the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company) label!
Above: model 353. A beautiful square model with eight bronze fins, highlighting the geometric shapes of this designer ceiling light with its recessed rim.
The priceless legacy of Ateliers Jean Perzel
Renowned expert in 20th-century decorative arts, Jean-Jacques Wattel reviews almost all of the 3,000 models created by Ateliers Jean Perzel. A taste for authenticity, pure materials and noble finishes: all these art luminaires are marked by the seal of purity and remain strangely synonymous with modernity. A visionary, Jean Perzel has tirelessly infused each of his creations with stylistic purity and formal elegance. It’s no coincidence that they adorn the walls and ceilings of the world’s most prestigious venues. To ensure the satisfaction of its high-end clientele, Ateliers Jean Perzel has surrounded itself with highly skilled craftsmen whose meticulous gestures give each luminaire its letters of nobility. And that little extra touch of soul that transforms a utilitarian object into an exceptional piece!
On the right: sconce 348 M in metal. On the coffee table, lamp 944 (limited, numbered edition).
Perzel luminaires, sublimating space
But what makes Jean-Jacques Wattel’s work so original is his keen understanding of Perzel’s genius. The master glassmaker has always worked with a constant concern for quality, beauty and comfort. Since 1923, his workshops have been dedicated to effective lighting. Beyond purely aesthetic considerations, Perzel luminaires are part of an architectural concept of light. Adapting the quantity of light required to suit the room to be lit, using light sources of complementary intensity, preserving visual comfort and the physiology of the eye: these are the technical requirements that govern the design of a new luminaire. Drawing on his expertise as a master glassmaker, Jean Perzel adopted glass and metal as the main components in all his luminous creations, precisely because of their intrinsic ability to propagate light. Over a hundred years later, almost nothing has changed!
Right: lamp 920. Various finishes are available.
A curved or geometric support encloses a cylinder of frosted optical glass, covered by a pivoting cover that helps direct the light. Above: 520 lamp. Symmetrical bronze support for this pair of glass cylinders.
Ateliers Jean Perzel.
Ateliers Jean Perzel
3 rue de la Cité-Universitaire
75014 Paris
Tél. : +33 (0)1 45 88 77 24
info@perzel.com
www.perzel.fr
