JACQUES-EMILE RUHLMANN (1879-1933)

Morel" dressing table Model created between 1921 and 1922, in Macassar ebony veneer decorated with a dot marquetry creating an oval motif on the top flanked by small storage compartments, the tapered legs adorned with silvered bronze sabots, the circular mirror also in silvered bronze. Stamped Ruhlmann below the top. Dimensions: 115.5 x 51 x 32.5 cm Born into an Alsatian family based in Paris, Ruhlmann worked in the family painting and mirror-making business from an early age. He took over from his father in 1907, and that same year his taste for furniture was revealed with designs for his own apartment and those of several friends. By 1910, he was exhibiting at the Salon d'Automne, but it was at the 1913 Salon that his extraordinary career took shape, and at the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, an entire pavilion was entrusted to him. One of his first major creations was the "meuble au char", which won him critical acclaim. Ruhlmann never practiced cabinetmaking himself, but he designed each piece and personally supervised its execution and manufacture. An incredible diversity of furniture was born from his pen, often bearing the name of their patron. From the Lorcia table to the Cabanel chiffonier, Ruhlmann constantly improved his designs, creating pure, elegant furniture with taut lines. His designs are often highly ergonomic, incorporating all kinds of accessories: telephones, lighting, foot-warming bars, control panels for lighting, door and shutter opening, among others. Main projects: Ruhlmann designed interiors and furniture for the Palais de l'Élysée, the Presidency of the Assemblée Nationale, the Mairie du Ve arrondissement de Paris, the Mairie de Puteaux, several ministries, the Musée des colonies at the 1931 Exposition Coloniale Internationale (the reception desk for Maréchal Lyautey, still in place in the Palais de la Porte Dorée), now the Cité nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration.