ALEXANDRE NOLL | AN IMPORTANT TWO-DOOR CABINET

Collection of Alexandre Noll, Paris

Collection of Odile Noll, Paris

Galerie de Beyrie, Paris

Christie’s New York, 21/21 Historical Design: 21 years for the 21st Century, December 19, 2006, lot 562

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Roberto Aloi, L'Arredamento Moderno, Milan, 1945, pl. 365 (for the present lot illustrated)

Olivier Jean-Elie and Pierre Passebon, Alexandre Noll, Paris, 1992, p. 27 (for the present lot illustrated)

This important cabinet was created by Alexandre Noll specifically for his villa in Fontenay-aux-Roses, just outside of Paris. This work displays superlative sculptural elements and a richly textured wooden surface that are representative of his most successful creations. A key element of the piece is its clever door mechanism, which consists of an organically sculpted oval device placed atop the cabinet doors that one needs to push down to unlock the cabinet doors. This practical appliance further attests to Noll’s tremendous craftsmanship and commitment to wood, not compromising its integrity with other materials to serve a particular function. This complex device counts among other inventive technical strategies used by Noll in his cabinetmaking practice, though few are as advanced as the one displayed on this outstanding piece of cabinetry.