Pierre Soulié Table Lamp

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Pierre Soulié table lamp chrome ring base & rods globe counterweight lampshade 1960s 1970s Verre Lumière France

Pierre Soulié Table Lamp – 1970 Catalogue Picture

This 1970 catalogue picture shows the Pierre Soulié table lamp, model 10432, produced by Verre Lumière. The design combines a chrome ring base, adjustable globe shade and a visible counterweight sphere.

Lamps in the Movies

Le Premier Jour du Reste de Ta Vie (2008)

A Pierre Soulié table lamp was used as set decoration in the 2008 French film Le Premier Jour du Reste de Ta Vie (The First Day of the Rest of Your Life), directed by Rémi Bezançon and starring Jacques Gamblin, Zabou Breitman and Déborah François. Several other lamps appear in the film; you can find them here.

Materials: Chromed metal ring base, rods and parts. Adjustable chrome globe lampshade, mounted in a chrome ring with a chrome sphere counterweight. White-painted Bakelite E27 socket.

Height: 67 cm / 26.37” – adjustable

Width: 44 cm / 17.32”

Base: 33 cm / 12.99”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 100 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
No specific type of light bulb is required; different types can be used.

Period: 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Pierre Soulié, 1970.

Manufacturer: Verre Lumière, Paris, France.

Other versions: This Pierre Soulié table lamp appears to have been produced in only one version, identified as model 10432. The integrated counterweight mechanism keeps the lamp well balanced in different positions.

Pierre Soulié

Unfortunately, very little reliable information can be found about the designer Pierre Soulié. Several people with the same name are recorded in France, and different online sources give conflicting dates. Artprice, for example, lists a Pierre Soulié with the dates 1927-2014, but this still needs to be confirmed.

Do you know more about the designer? Please let us know through the contact form and help improve the accuracy of this page. Your help is much appreciated.

Verre Lumière

Verre Lumière was founded in 1968 by Maurice Max-Ingrand, better known as Max Ingrand (1908-1969), the famous designer and former artistic director of FontanaArte from 1954 until 1967. He founded the company together with the French lighting company Mazda and the glassmakers of Saint-Gobain. Max Ingrand died unexpectedly from influenza in Paris in 1969.

The company was led by Jacques Vidal. Ben Swildens, well known for his egg lamp designed for FontanaArte, became artistic director, while Sabine Charoy was head of the creative studio.

Verre Lumière distributed its lighting through its flagship store at 190 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. The company also sold lamps by FontanaArte.

Designers who worked for Verre Lumière include Sabine Charoy, Ben Swildens, Christian Germanaz, Michel Boyer, Pierre Paulin, Jean Pierre Vitrac, Michel Mortier, Joseph-André Motte, Étienne Fermigier, Kim Moltzer, Jean-Paul Barray, Yonel Lebovici and, of course, Pierre Soulié.

An exhibition dedicated to important lamps by Verre Lumière was held by La Galerie Meubles et Lumières from 8 March to 28 April 2018.

One of my personal favourite lamps by Pierre Soulié is this German version. Interestingly, this version is equipped with grounding, something not commonly seen on French examples. It raises the question of how many of these lamps were actually distributed in Germany. The number was likely very limited, and German versions appear to be considerably rarer than their French counterparts.

Pierre Soulié Table Lamp – 1970 Catalogue Picture

This catalogue picture shows model 10432 as part of the Verre Lumière lighting collection. The lamp’s ring base, adjustable spherical shade and counterweight make it one of the most sculptural designs in the catalogue.