An artisan in the Philippines creating flowers for these lights

1980s Capiz Flowers Chandelier

Materials: Curved brass plated iron rods & leaves. Dark brass plated metal parts. Metal chain & canopy. Windowpane oyster shells lampshades. Windowpane oyster flowers on top. 5 Bakelite E14 sockets.

Total Height: 90 cm / 35.43”

Height: 34 cm / 13.38”

Width: ∅ 56 cm / 22.04”

Electricity: 5 bulbs E14, 5 x 40 watt maximum, 110/220 volt. Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1980s, 1990s.

Designer: To be appraised.

Manufacturer: Massive, Mortsel, Belgium.

Other versions: This 1980s Capiz flowers chandelier exists in several variations, smaller and bigger. Also table lamps and wall lamps were made.

Shells

The shells (Placuna placenta) have been used for thousands of years as a glass substitute because of their durability and translucence.

The windowpane oyster used for these lamps are often called “mother of pearl“, but that is a different shell. Mother of pearl is “nacre” and it is the inside of another shell and it is not translucent. The outside of a pearl is from the same organic material. The outer layer of pearls and the inside layer of pearl oyster is made of nacre.

These flower shells with brass edges are all made in the Philippines, in the eponymous province of Capiz.

Massive

Massive was in origin a bronze foundry and they produced mainly candlesticks, crucifixes and chandeliers in Wilrijk near Antwerp, Belgium. The company was founded in 1926 by Pieter-Jozef De Jaeck. His son Eddy De Jaeck was responsible for the huge expansion of the company in the 1970s. But it were his sons, Piet and Jan De Jaeck who made Massive a true multinational. Thus, they moved production to Eastern Europe and China.

In the 1980s Massive became the leading brand in Europe. In 2002, the brothers left the company to the investment fund CVC Capital Partners, for allegedly more than 250 million euros. Since 2008 the company is owned by Philips and the name of the shops is changed into Light Gallery.

When the takeover by Philips was announced in November 2006 Massive commercialised more than 10.000 lighting products under brand names such as Massive, TRIO and Lirio. The group had about 5.000 employees worldwide and was active in 70 countries.

Massive sold many lamps made by others. Peill + Putzler from Germany and Yamada Shomei from Japan produced lamps for Massive, to name a few. Many other lighting companies did.