Important Design
Important Design
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
"Granet" Desk
Auction Closed
December 8, 09:48 PM GMT
Estimate
150,000 - 200,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
"Granet" Desk
1932
model no. 1517 AR
rosewood, original leather, chromium-plated bronze
branded Ruhlmann twice, dated 1932 and with the Atelier A mark
29½ x 75½ x 38 in. (75 x 191.8 x 96.5 cm)
Commissioned directly from the artist for the study of Carlos Alberto Cabral, second Count of Vizela and original owner of Casa de Serralves, Porto, Portugal
Galerie Rodolphe Perpitch, Paris
DeLorenzo Gallery, New York, 1986
Giuseppe Gazzoni, Bologna, 2001
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2005
Florence Camard, Ruhlmann: Master of Art Deco, New York, 1984, pp. 218-219 and 221 (for the present lot illustrated)
Jacques Émile Ruhlmann e a Fraternidade das Artes, exh. cat., Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves, Porto, 2009, p. 117 (for the present lot illustrated)
Florence Camard, Ruhlmann, New York, 2011, p. 353 (for a related model)
Jacques Émile Ruhlmann e a Fraternidade das Artes, exh. cat., Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves, Porto, 2009, p. 117 (for the present lot illustrated)
Florence Camard, Ruhlmann, New York, 2011, p. 353 (for a related model)
The present desk is a later variation of the iconic "Tardieu" model from 1929. This exceptional piece, while retaining many of the original attributes from the earlier model including a built-in adjustable lamp on the desktop, stands out by its sleek rectangular form, its superb rosewood selection and the addition of a leather writing surface which has been beautifully preserved. The result is an incredibly modern desk blending traditional craftsmanship and simplified lines, attesting to the master of Art Deco's ability to adapt and continually renew his superior cabinetmaking practice.