Maison Desny Rare Silver Modernist Menorah French Art Deco

French Art Deco Modernist Menorah by Maison Desny designed circa 1930. A silver-plate modernist menorah signed and incredibly rare. This may have been a custom order since the company was only in business for 5 years from 1927-1933. It is a very impressive piece and certainly captures the modern design directive that this company seemed to understand as their designs  have still never really been duplicated or reproduced. The quality is obvious.

Although the firm’s background has remained uncertain, the quality of its modernist designs has not. The juxtaposition of perpendicular shapes and planes, which recur in the firm’s creations, provides a ready form of identification. This piece is also signed on the bottom and on one side bar: DESNY PARIS made in France DEPOSE.

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The firm Maison Desny is recognized for its innovative and resolutely modern objects, especially lighting fixtures that incorporated glass and chrome-plated metal; they also produced silverware, bath accessories, carpets, and murals. They favored plain, highly polished surfaces of chromed, silver or nickel-plated metal.  The business was started around 1927 but was negatively affected by political events in Europe, and unfortunately, closed in 1933. Information on the history of La Maison Desny remains vague, it appears that Maison Desny was established by two designers, Desnet and Rene Nauny, from whose names the contraction of “Desny” was derived.