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Art Deco Lamp Shades: Shapes, Glass and Slip Shades

What art deco lamp shades looked like, from etched glass cones to frosted slip shades, and how to find a replacement shade that suits a deco lamp.

By Art Deco Lighting editorial teamUpdated 3 min read8 sources

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An art deco wrought iron lamp attributed to Paul Kiss with a glass shade, Cleveland Museum of Art
An art deco wrought iron lamp attributed to Paul Kiss with a glass shade, Cleveland Museum of ArtPhoto: Tim Evanson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Art deco lamp shades were often glass or alabaster in geometric shapes: cones, bowls and molded panels in etched, frosted or pressed glass, like the etched cone on Edgar Brandt’s 1920s serpent lamp. To replace one, measure the fitter first, then match the glass finish and the lamp’s lines rather than a single period name.

What did art deco lamp shades look like?

Art deco lamp shades were geometric and often made of glass or stone. Two museum lamps show the range:

  • Edgar Brandt’s Temptation lamp, at the National Gallery of Victoria, has a bronze serpent holding “a large conical glass shade” made by Verrerie de Nancy. The NGV says Brandt showed the lamps in Paris in 1925 and made them from 1920 to 1926; the shade’s rim is engraved “DAUM NANCY.”
  • Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann’s lamp of about 1926, at the Met, sets a translucent alabaster shade on a tall gilt bronze tripod base.

Both are luxury pieces, but everyday lamps used the same ideas in cheaper glass and metal. Look for straight lines, fan and sunburst patterns, and shades that glow evenly rather than showing the bulb.

Which glass finishes will you see on deco shades?

Listings use these terms loosely. The Corning Museum of Glass defines them:

Finish What it means (Corning Museum of Glass) How it looks lit
Frosted A matte finish made by exposing glass to hydrofluoric acid fumes Even, soft glow
Acid-etched A design scratched through wax, then etched with hydrofluoric acid Matte pattern on clear or colored glass
Pressed Molten glass pressed into a metal mold by a plunger Crisp molded pattern
Opal Translucent white glass with a grayish or bluish tinge Milky, diffused light

Pressed glass was not new in the deco years: Corning notes that pressing was first mechanized in the United States between 1820 and 1830, a century before the deco years.

Art deco lamps with glass shades

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What is a slip shade?

A slip shade is a glass shade that slips into its holder. Old House Lights, an archive of antique lighting catalogs, calls the pan fixture one of the most common American ceiling lights from the 1910s to the 1930s: a shallow central pan with three to five short arms, “each fitted with a molded glass slip shade.” The shades ranged “from floral frosted glass to bold geometric panels.”

Because the shades only slip in, the same source notes that mismatched and replacement shades are “extremely common,” and collectors trade single shades to complete a set. Check that every shade in a fixture shares the same pattern and color before you buy, and ask whether any have been replaced.

How do you find a replacement shade for a deco lamp?

Start with the fitting, not the look:

  1. Glass shade on a holder. Measure the shade’s neck or rim where it meets the holder, and the holder’s inside width. A shade that is too small falls through; one that is too large will not seat.
  2. Glass shade on a table lamp. Note how it is held: a ring, a clip or screws on the rim. Photograph the holder for the seller. Then match the finish: frosted with frosted, pressed pattern with a similar molded line. An exact original is a bonus, not a requirement, for a lamp you plan to use.

Check the bulb before the new shade goes on

A closed glass shade holds heat around the bulb. The CPSC advises: “Replace bulbs that have a higher wattage than recommended to prevent overheating that could lead to a fire.” On a vintage lamp, have the old cord and socket checked too; the rewiring guide covers what to replace.

Vintage glass and fabric lamp shades

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Fabric or glass on an art deco lamp?

Both can look right. A glass shade carries the period look on its own and suits a lamp whose base is plain. On a figural or chrome base, a simple fabric shade lets the metalwork stand out; choose a stepped or straight-sided profile, which echoes deco geometry better than a curved or pleated one. Sizing and fitters for fabric shades are in our vintage lamp shade guide.

Slag and leaded glass shades, with their metal frames and colored panels, often sell alongside deco lamps. The Tiffany lamp shade guide covers how those mount. For a whole deco lamp, the table and floor lamp guide compares heights and materials.

Slag glass and leaded glass lamps

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Frequently asked questions

What is an art deco slip shade?

A molded glass shade that slips into a holder on a light fixture instead of screwing on. Old House Lights describes pan fixtures of the 1910s to 1930s with three to five arms, each holding a slip shade, in patterns from floral frosted glass to geometric panels.

What glass was used for art deco lamp shades?

Etched, frosted, pressed and opal glass all appear on lamps of the period. The National Gallery of Victoria's Edgar Brandt serpent lamp, for example, has a large conical etched glass shade made by Verrerie de Nancy.

Can I put a fabric shade on an art deco lamp?

Yes, if the lamp has a harp or another fabric shade fitter. Choose a plain, straight-sided or stepped shape that suits the lamp's geometry, and size it to the base as you would any table lamp shade.

How do I find a replacement glass shade for a deco fixture?

Measure the fitter: the width of the shade's neck or rim where it meets the holder, and the holder's inside width. Then match the glass and pattern. Slip shades are traded singly, so a deco slip shade can often be matched.

What is the difference between frosted and etched glass?

The Corning Museum of Glass defines frosting as a matte finish made by exposing glass to hydrofluoric acid fumes. Acid etching uses the same acid on a design scratched through a resist, so only part of the surface is matte.

Sources

  1. Temptation, standard lamp (La Tentation, torchère)National Gallery of Victoria
  2. Lamp, Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, about 1926 (Met 1985.430.21ab)The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. FrostingCorning Museum of Glass
  4. Acid etchingCorning Museum of Glass
  5. Pressed glassCorning Museum of Glass
  6. Opal glassCorning Museum of Glass
  7. Pan and Slip-Shade Fixtures (1910 to 1935)Old House Lights
  8. CPSC and NESF Urge Consumers to "Plug Into Electrical Safety"U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Collection: Lamp shadesIntroduction: Art Deco Lighting: How to Recognize and Buy 1920s and 1930s Lamps

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