Introduction to Funky French Ceramic Lava (& Glitter) Lamps

This small webpage is dedicated to vintage French Ceramic Lamps. Unlike most commonly seen vintage lava lamps, they designs are ceramic based and capped. They feature a wide variety of designs and artwork on the bases and the caps. They do look hand finished and very rarely have seen with glitter. Most that I have seen feature markings on the base which states: Creations LUC Vallauris. Models have been seen with a gold sticker on the glass bottle saying: Creations SOFRANEX.

These lamps feature the name Crestions LUC Vallauris on the base. This marking has been confirmed as the mark of Auguste Lucchesi (Lyon 1913), he first sold Vallauris pottery in Lyon as a merchant. In 1951 he moved to Vallauris and started a workshop. In 1960 he became chairman of the A.V.E.C. In 1961 Gérard Damiato joins the workshop (his son in law) and gives an artistic boost to the production.

I have personally seen ones which feature strip shred glitter. Very little information is known about these lamps, but they sometimes surface for sale. If they are cloudy they can most certainly refilled using Mathmos wax and master fluid, or the original fluid can be filtered for clarity. They are really funky.

Please see the examples below. I have added names to each model, there are an endless amount of models. Please note that it is the mainly the paintwork on the lamp and texture which varies for piece to piece, the actual shape tends to stay the same. Thank you.

Noted colourways so far include: Clear/Orange, Clear/Red.

Model Below: Midnight Fireworks.

A mix of weird dark colours and weird textures makes this LUC Vallauris lava lamp base and cap are very unique and memorable. This particular model below is quite interesting, this lamp features splatters or paint dropped on the base which adds some relief to the base. The colours stand out on the base and cap. Just like Midnight Fireworks, this lamp is beautiful on or off.

Thank you to Philippe for the wonderful photos below of his wonderful LUC lava lamp. Please see the images below for more information.

Model Below: A Psychedelic Night.

A mix of weird dark colours and weird textures makes this lamp very unique and memorable. Please see the images below for more information. This particular model features a clear & red colour combination. The bottle in these designs sits on a ledge hidden inside the base.

Even More Base & Cap LUC Vallauris (lampe lave) Designs.

Hippie Flower Branch Design: White background with flowering pattern. A really cool graphic lamp. Part of the design is also carried on to the top of the cap of the lamp. I love the way the graphics on the base and cap totally transform the aesthetic of the lamp. Please see images below:

Crackle Textured Design: Two tone design featuring blueish green texture on a darker black base colour. This particular has been seen with glitter too.

Other designs seen include: Carrot Shreds, Mexico Sunrise, Earth to Rock, Strippy