Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Endeavoring to create exquisite work that would endure forever, designer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann defined the grandeur of the French Art Deco movement of the 1920s. His luxurious storage cabinets, seating, other furniture and interiors garnered considerable popularity alongside the growth in post–World War I Paris’s population of newly wealthy residents.
The Paris-born Ruhlmann was the son of a decorating contractor, a business he took over in the early 1900s and expanded into furniture and interior design. But by the end of his career, he was best known for being a skilled ensemblier, a term for a designer who not only makes furniture and decorates spaces but rather personally crafts each and every piece required in the space, from doorknobs to sofas. This practice ensured that the space was harmonious and consistent with Ruhlmann’s vision, and it contributed to the lasting popularity of his designs.
Ruhlmann enjoyed the patronage of the newly affluent and was encouraged by the popularity of Art Deco. While the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements were early influences, he is renowned for the modernity of his Art Deco–era designs, which reflected the celebratory nature of the times, including an integration of opulent flourishes; luxurious materials like Macassar ebony, amboyna burl, ivory and precious metals; and skilled craftsmanship and construction techniques.
Renowned all over the world, Ruhlmann was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to design a cabinet in 1925, embellishing its curved door with a sophisticated floral motif by way of an ornate marriage of wood and ivory veneer. Also in 1925, at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, arguably the exhibition that introduced Art Deco on an international level, his pavilion was the most popular.
By the time the economic depression of the 1930s materialized, Ruhlmann’s exorbitantly expensive designs were no longer viable. But the majesty and elegance of the ’20s remain an important part of design history, and Ruhlmann has been described as “perhaps its finest exponent.”
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Early 20th Century Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Macassar
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Marble, Ormolu
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Teak
20th Century Art Deco Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Silver Leaf
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Brass, Chrome
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Macassar
Early 1900s Art Deco Antique Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Walnut
19th Century Antique Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Bone, Ebony
2010s German Modern Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Steel
18th Century French Queen Anne Antique Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Mirror, Walnut
18th Century English Queen Anne Antique Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Walnut
19th Century Spanish Antique Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann Secretaires
Leather, Wood
Émile-jacques Ruhlmann secretaires for sale on 1stDibs.
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- 1stDibs ExpertApril 22, 2024A few things characterized the work of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. By the end of his career, he was best known for being a skilled ensemblier, a term for a designer who not only makes furniture and decorates spaces but personally crafts each and every piece required in the space, from doorknobs to sofas. This practice ensured that the space was harmonious and consistent with Ruhlmann’s vision, and it contributed to the lasting popularity of his designs. While the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements were early influences, he is renowned for the modernity of his Art Deco designs, which reflected the opulent nature of the era, involving luxurious materials like Macassar ebony, amboyna burl, ivory and precious metals and skilled craftsmanship and construction techniques. Explore a variety of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann furniture on 1stDibs.