LOT Phillips de Pury & Company  /  19 - 20TH CENTURY DESIGN ART  / 

27

JACQUES-EMILE RUHLMANN...

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:150,000.00 - 200,000.00 USD
JACQUES-EMILE RUHLMANN...
JACQUES-EMILE RUHLMANN
PIANO, 1924
piano works by Gaveau
burled walnut, sycamore, gilt bronze
with inlaid signature, numbered, and marked "GAVEAU/PARIS"
42 3/8 x 60 1/4 x 59 in.
(102.5 x 153 x 150 cm) <P>ESTIMATE: $150,000-200,000 <P>PROVENANCE
Sotheby's Monaco,
March 11, 1984, lot 216 <P>ILLUSTRATED
Pierre Kjellberg, ART DECO: LES MAÎTRES DU MOBILIER, Paris, 1981, p. 161
Raymond Foulk, EMILE-JACQUES RUHLMANN: CENTENARY EXHIBITION 1879-1933, London, 1979, p.62 for Ruhlmann's drawing of the piano, 1924 (Fig. 1) <p>The present piano is a very close variant of the piece showcased by Ruhlmann in the Paris Exposition of 1925. Of comparable form, similarly raised on four legs of voluptuous silhouette, and with an elegant bronze bow cradling the foot peddles, the present example employs a quite different wood. As opposed to the ebene de macassar trimmed with silvered bronze used in his exhibition piece, in this case Ruhlmann has used a fine, patterned walnut, offset by the warm glow of gilt bronze. <p>Close consideration of this piano reveals characteristic aspects of Ruhlmann's style and approach. Ambitious in scale and concept, the piece balances a traditional form with more personalized details such as the serpentine bronze trims that silhouette the outer edge of each leg, terminating in discreet scrolls at the top and in tapered sabots at the base. A high-quality veneer of exotic wood creates a seductive shell, sleek in its richness and high finish, over the typically robust carcass. Ruhlmann is revealed as the master designer and artisan serving and reflecting the confident self-image of the haute bourgeoisie of Paris and France in the 1920s.
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