Capiz Flower Globe Chandelier

Materials: Big round globe lampshade made of shells from the windowpane oyster. Soldered together on a thin brass and iron wire frame. Metal E27 socket.

Chain Length: 80 cm / 31.49’’

Height: ∅ 60 cm / 23.62”

Width: ∅ 60 cm / 23.62”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 100 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used. Not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1900s until now, this one is from the 50s or 60s.

Designer: To be appraised.

Manufacturer: Rausch Leuchten – attributed.

Other versions: This Capiz flower globe chandelier or pendant lamp exists as a flush mount, a table lamp and a wall lamp. These lamps exists in many forms and sizes. You can find several lamps here on Vintageinfo.

The pieces of shell having brass edging and they are cut as flower petals.

Rausch

Capiz shell lamps like this were sold in Europe by various lighting retailers and distributors, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. In Germany they are repeatedly associated with Rausch.

A solid clue comes from the auction house Quittenbaum (Munich), which catalogued a comparable lamp as “Rausch, Karlsruhe” and noted the presence of a manufacturer’s label (Herstelleraufkleber). This strongly suggests that “Rausch, Karlsruhe” was indeed used as a maker or at least a branded distributor name on the original products.

Unfortunately, beyond this label attribution, no reliable company history, catalogues, or archival documentation has been traced so far. The name “Rausch” appears in various modern lighting businesses as well, but these should not automatically be assumed to be related to the vintage Capiz production.

Willy Daro

These types of lamps are often attributed to the Belgian designer Willy Daro, but this attribution is incorrect. Capiz shell lamps were already in production long before Daro was born, and they originate from the Philippines, more specifically from the province of Capiz, after which they are named.

Willy Daro’s company did not produce nor market lamps of this type. The confusion most likely stems from the broader popularity of organic, sculptural lighting forms in the 1960s and 1970s, a period during which Daro was active as a designer.

The popularity of Capiz shell lighting increased further after Verner Panton used similar shells for his famous FUN chandeliers, designed in 1964 for the Swiss company Lüber. However, flower-shaped and shell-based chandeliers existed well before Panton’s designs.

Shells

The shells used for these lamps are Placuna placenta, commonly known as windowpane oysters. They have been used for centuries as a substitute for glass thanks to their durability and natural translucency.

They are often incorrectly described as “mother of pearl,” but that is a different material. Mother of pearl is nacre, which forms the inner layer of certain shells and the outer layer of pearls. Nacre is not translucent, whereas Placuna placenta shells are, which is exactly why they work so well in lighting.

Capiz shell lamps are still produced today and can be found in various contemporary online stores.

Fun chandelier – Verner Panton