Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann

Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann exhibited modernist tendencies towards the end of his career, as evidenced in the present “Rodier” bar table. The eponymous design was originally created as part of the remodeling of the apartment of Paul Rodier in 1929. Simultaneously, Ruhlmann was enlisted to design the commercial spaces and offices of Rodier’s textile company. For both projects, Ruhlmann exhibited a heightened interest in functionalism, utilizing a pared-down material palette and simplified structural forms. The Rodier apartment interior achieved a sense of cohesiveness by integrating both the bookshelves and the architectural columns into the paneling of the walls. Interestingly, Ruhlmann utilized a chrome-plated ladder for the shelving system. In front of an elegant sofa was placed a coffee table made from leather, macassar ebony and silvered bronze. The table is in fact the original “Rodier” bar table, after which the present example was created. The form comprises three hinged doors that open to reveal storage compartments, one with additional dividers and a built-in shelf. Through the introduction of industrial materials, the restrained material palette, the lack of iconographic references and the functional aspects such as the movable ladder and the hidden bar elements in the coffee table, Ruhlmann had embraced certain aspects of modernism. The present “Rodier” bar table, with its original and highly textural leather and superb macassar ebony selection, is an outstanding example of Ruhlmann’s ability to produce luxuriant work that melded the fine materials of the 1920’s decorative arts with the functionalism and minimalism prevalent in 1930s modernism.