Muller Frères is a French glass company founded in 1895 by the brothers of the Müller family, which became famous for its artistic products made of multi-layered glass at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the company’s particularly complex products have up to seven layers of multi-colored glass, and are admired for their perfection of design, elegance of contour, and bright beauty.

The Müller family, which came from the Alsatian town of Kalkhausen, had nine brothers and one sister, who also worked in the family business. “Frères” in the company’s name means “brothers” in French. Different sources indicate the seniority of the brothers differently. I will cite their names as they are given in the major study “The Gallé Lines”, dedicated to the work of Emile Gallé and his followers: Emile (1866), Henri (1868-1936), Camille (b. 1869), Jean (b. 1872), Auguste (b. 1874), Desire (1877-1952), Eugene (1883-1914), Pierre and Victor.

After the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), when part of Lorraine was annexed by Prussia, the Müller family moved to French territory and settled in the town of Lunéville near Nancy. This region had long been a center of glass production. And in Nancy, there was a glass factory of the famous Emile Gallé, where Henri Muller soon started working. He was engaged in glass carving and engraving. A little later, Henri was joined by his younger brothers. After some time, Henri Muller became the manager of the Gallé production, managed the glass workshop and had the opportunity to study all the intricacies of the Gallé glass production.

In 1896, Henri Muller, after a heated quarrel with Gallé, left his company and opened his own workshop in Lunéville. In 1898, Henri was joined by his younger brothers and sister Camille, and the company was named “Muler Brothers and Co.” (Muler Freres & Cio).

In 1905, the director of the Belgian glass factory “Val Saint-Lambert” Leon Ledru invited the brothers Desiree and Eugene Muller to Belgium to develop new methods of glass decoration. In three years, they created more than 400 Art Nouveau designs. A large collection of the Muller brothers’ works from this period is housed in the Musée du fin de siècle in Brussels, dedicated to Art Nouveau art. And here there is a significant discrepancy with the family history presented in the Lines of Halle: the Val Saint-Lambert pieces are attributed to Henri and Désirée Muller, not Eugène and Désirée. And there are many such discrepancies in different sources.

Eugène Muller died during the First World War in 1914. After the war, during which production was stopped, Muller Frères resumed its activities. In 1919, Henri and Désirée bought the glassworks in Croimare and renovated the production, which employed about 400 people. The Lunéville workshop continued to specialise in the artistic decoration of glass produced in Croimare. Pierre and Victor soon joined the family business.

A whole series of original lamps were created by the Muller Frères factory in collaboration with the metalwork manufacturer Chapelle Nancy between 1920 and 1935. A total of 14 models of lamps in the form of birds and animals were created. Chapelle Nancy created the metal frame into which the multi-coloured glass was then blown.

The Muller Frères company existed until 1936, when it closed due to the effects of the Great Depression. Throughout its years of activity, the company remained committed to the aesthetic principles and technological methods of its legendary predecessor, Emile Gallé.

Muller Frères survived until 1936, when it closed due to the effects of the Great Depression. Throughout its years of operation, the company remained committed to the aesthetic principles and technological methods of its legendary predecessor, Emile Gallé.