Mid-Century Glass Table Lamp from Val Saint Lambert, 1950s

Val Saint Lambert is a glass manufacturer, founded in 1826 and based in Seraing. It has the royal warrant of King Albert The beautiful colours enhance the swirls in the skirt of this wonderful table lamp base. Rewired with gold vintage style cable, this lamp can very easily be adapted for any region including the US. In 1825 Kemlin and Lelièvre bought the site of the former Val-Saint-Lambert Abbey in Seraing near Liège on the river Meuse. There they founded a new glassworks (still in operation to this day, originally focused on heavy led crystal), which initially employed some of the key workers from the former Vonêche glassworks. The two founders initially built two houses for themselves, and block accommodation for the acquired former Vonêche workers. Like similar highly religious employers, this policy of complete lifestyle development eventually led to the company building over 200 houses on the site to house workers, in what became a self-service village which also had a general store, school and post office; the local Roman Catholic church was also expanded to accommodate additional worshippers. Due to the quality of its designs and manufacturing process, the company developed a well known brand and expanded. Aside from its home territory of Belgium and the Netherlands, the largest export market was to then Tsarist-ruled Russia. In 1876 the company opened a distribution base in New York, and in 1889 the company”s CEO visited the store, and toured locally based competitor East Coast factories. As a result, on his return to Belgium the CEO noted in his report the then superior quality of American glass and the skill of its crystal cutters, which the company responded to by developing its own “bright” ranges and superior quality cutting. The resulting “bright period” expanded the companies reputation and market especially in North America, and hence today it is well known and collected there for its Art Nouveau and Art Deco pieces.