Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann

Altina Schinasi Miranda, New York, 1928
Sotheby's New York, December 3, 1999, lot 304
DeLorenzo Gallery, New York
Private Collection, Chicago

Charles-Henri Besnard, "Quelques nouveaux muebles de Ruhlmann," Art et Décoration, March 1924, p. 70
Florence Camard, Ruhlmann, Paris, 1983, p. 277 (for a variant model)
"Ruhlmann," Connaissance des Arts, numéro spécial édité à l'occasion de l'exposition Ruhlmann, un génie de l'Art Déco, Musée des Années 30 de Boulogne-Billancourt, November 15, 2001 to March 17, 2002, p. 54
Emmanuel Bréon and Rosalind Pepall, eds., Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco, Montreal, 2004, pp. 138, 193, and 272 (for a variant model)
Emmanuel Bréon, Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann: Furniture, Paris, 2004, p. 106 (for the design drawing of this model)

Generally very good overall condition. Surface has been refinished as expected. There are scattered minor stray marks and veneer chip repairs notably at the edges and to the perimeters of the drawers as expected from age and normal use. Cracks to the ivory accents on the legs as expected with the age of the material. Rubbing and oxidization to the nickeled bronze pulls. The restorations are well executed and do not detract from the overall visual impact of this stunning work.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The name of this impressive model derives from the infamous French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette.  The form itself is part of the classic Ruhlmann repetoire and is seen in a larger version under the name LaSalle.  The choice of amaranth and the added embellishment of the delicate ivory inlay make the present lot make an exceedingly desirable example of the form.  The design drawing for the Colette cabinet survives in the Ruhlmann Archive in Paris under the number 2034.

An important aspect of the present lot is that its full history is known from the moment it was acquired from Ruhlmann's shop in Paris.  The cabinet along with numerous other pieces were purchased in Paris in 1928 by Altina Schinasi Miranda on the occasion of her honeymoon with her first husband Morris Sanders.  Altina was a manufacturing heiress from New York with an artistic nature and is credited with creating and popularizing mask-like Harlequin eyewear for women.  She was recognized for her efforts in 1939 when she won the Lord and Taylor Annual American Design Award for her distictive eyewear.  In the 1940s she reinvented herself as a filmmaker, developing and producing Interregnum, about the artist George Grosz.  It received a 1960 Academy Award nomination and won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.