Story

In Bohemia, the tradition of rich hand-crafted crystal lighting begins with the Palme name – founded in 1724 in Parchen, Bohemia (Austria-Hungary), Christoph Palme & Co was originally named for lighting designer Josef Palme, who created hand-crafted crystal chandeliers for the likes of King Louis XV and Austrian royalty. (A bolder style of chandelier, without a central post, was created at the time for Austrian Empress Maria Theresa before she was crowned Queen of Bohemia in 1743 – now known as the Maria Theresa chandelier – and Josef Palme created fixtures in this style).
On Josef’s death, his younger brother Christoph took over the family business in the mid-18th century, and the brand has retained his name ever since.
Over time, Christoph’s chandeliers and other lighting fixtures appeared in the living quarters of the Russian Tsarina Elisabeth, the Turkish Sultan Oman III and the palaces of the kings of Saudi Arabia. In the post-war years, several Palme lighting workshops opened in West Germany under different names, including Reinhold Palme & Sohn, Palme & Walter (Palwa), Gerhard Palme and Christoph Palme Leuchten.

A handful of electric chandeliers made by Christoph Palme & Co. were installed in the East Room of the White House during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, thanks to Edward F. Caldwell & Co. who commissioned the historic manufacturer to create the fixtures.
The fact that Manhattan’s Edward F. Caldwell & Co. was associated with Christoph Palme’s lighting should come as no surprise to collectors – the New York company was a leading electrical lighting company whose elegant, quality fixtures borrowed heavily from historic styles.
Chandeliers have evolved over time, but their classic elegance has remained unchanged. Not only will the right chandelier look impressive in any given room, it can also offer a certain sense of practicality.
In the modern era, the work of Christophe Palme & Co. has reflected changing tastes and an effort to preserve and maintain the excellent reputation of the centuries-old manufacture. Brass and gold-plated “mid-century modern” models were sometimes adorned with an exquisite array of Swarovski crystals that sparkled in the daylight, while partnerships with Venini and Palwa in the 1960s and 1970s gave rise to magnificent Hollywood Regency-style sconces and ceiling lights that were inspired by natural forms and often featured an integration of Murano glass pieces mounted on gilded brass frames.