ÉMILE-JACQUES RUHLMANN | A PAIR OF RARE ARMCHAIRS

Michel Roux-Spitz, Paris

Serge Royaux, Paris

Millon & Robert, Camard, Paris, November 29, 1995, lot 166

Galerie Vallois, Paris

Phillips New York, May 24, 2005, lot 59

Acquired from the above by the present owner

This pair of rare armchairs designed by the celebrated Art Deco cabinetmaker is distinguished by its impeccable provenance, which can be traced as far back as the personal collection of Michel Roux-Spitz. The Parisian architect behind some of the capital’s most iconic Art Deco buildings surrounded himself with modernist furniture, including works by his peer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. The present lot was subsequently acquired by famed interior decorator Serge Royaux, known in the United States for his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the French embassies in New York and Washington D.C. Royaux is also often credited for the revival of Ruhlmann style throughout the second half of the 20^th century, incorporating the designer’s creations into the homes of some of his prominent patrons such as Madame Bettencourt. He also personally collected fine Ruhlmann furniture and put together an important collection, of which the present lot is a prime example. The elegant outline of the armchairs complements the delicate lacquerware adorning their wooden frame, enhanced by the designer’s characteristic silvered bronze sabots. Having inhabited the collections of some of the most important proponents of Art Deco style, this lot constitutes the purest expression of this modernist movement.