ON HOLD DP A Rare Polar Bear Lamp signed by Cartier with Original Shade

A rare early 20th century French Art Deco table lamp by Théodore Cartier, circa 1920s, featuring a bronze-finished polar bear leaning curiously against a towering opaque glass “iceberg” shade. The composition beautifully captures the bear’s natural stance, paws pressed against the illuminated glass — a clever interplay of form and function that transforms sculpture into light. The piece is cast-signed “T. CARTIER” to the base and retains its original sculptural definition and patina. The frosted glass shade, moulded in the shape of a stylised iceberg, diffuses a warm, soft glow. The lamp has been rewired for Australian conditions with black silk cord, ready for contemporary use. Dimensions: 27.5 cm high × 24 cm wide × 13 cm deep. About the Artist Théodore Cartier (French, early 20th century) was an accomplished sculptor active during the height of the Art Deco movement. His work often featured animals rendered with elegance and vitality, balancing realism with the stylised geometry characteristic of the era. Cartier’s pieces — whether in bronze, spelter, or glass — captured the harmony between nature and design that defined French decorative arts of the 1920s and 1930s. This exceptional Cartier “Polar Bear and Iceberg” lamp is a true collector’s piece — a masterful union of sculpture and light, embodying the poetic spirit of early 20th-century French Art Deco craftsmanship.