Large Capiz Chandelier

Materials: Half round lampshade made of a brass soldered thin frame with shells from the windowpane oyster. Some coloured red/maroon shells in a flower decoration. Brass chain and canopy. Bakelite E27 socket.

Cord Length: 60 cm / 23.62’’

Height: 34 cm / 13.38”

Width: ∅ 52 cm / 20.47”

Electricity: 3 bulbs E27, 3 x 75 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1900s until now, this one is from the 1960s.

Designer: To be appraised.

Manufacturer: To be appraised. Imported by the Massive lighting company from Mortsel, Kontich and Wommelgem, Belgium. Many types of these lamps were imported and sold by German lamp producers.

Other versions: This Capiz chandelier exists in many sizes and forms. Also made as a table lamp, wall lamp, floor lamp, pendant lamp…
You can find several lamps here on Vintageinfo.

The pieces of shell having brass edging and formed as flower petals.

These lamps are all made in the Philippines, in the eponymous province of Capiz, hence the name.

These lamps were sold by light companies around the world, you find them everywhere. In Germany these lamps were sold by Rausch.

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’s a different shell. Mother of pearl is “nacre” and it’s the inside of a different shell and is not translucent. Also the outside of a pearl is from the same organic material.

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.