One of the most elegant and innovative 20th-century French furniture designers, Jacques Adnet created a simple, unadorned signature style that is both trim and vigorous. He began his career in the heyday of the Art Deco era, and in the 1950s, in association with Hermès, created chairs, lamps, desks and other pieces that employed slender metal frames clad in stitched saddle leather. With such furnishings, Adnet brought a fashion sensibility to design and decor that had not been seen since the 1920s prime of the great Paris couturier-decorator Paul Poiret.
Adnet was born in a provincial town in Burgundy, where he studied design before moving, along with his twin brother, Jean, to Paris to study at the École des Arts Décoratifs. After their graduation in the early 1920s, the brothers were hired to work in the decorative-arts atelier of the department store Galeries Lafayette, under the direction of Maurice Dufrêne, an Art Deco master who developed a singularly robust and opulent style. Both Adnets showed their work at the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes — the design fair from which the term Art Deco is derived.
In 1928, Jacques Adnet took charge of the struggling La Compagnie des Arts Français, a decorative-arts firm founded by Louis Süe and André Mare that created modern furnishings that bore traces of 18th-century styling. Adnet immediately took the company in a different direction. He developed a simple lithe and lean look that incorporated industrial materials such as metal and glass, along with exotic woods and finishes such as parchment and sharkskin.
Adnet’s furniture begs to be described in terms of personalities: charming faux-bamboo side tables, suave chrome lighting and urbane club chairs. His most noted pieces, which feature sleek metal frames wrapped in Hermès leather, have a character all their own — smooth, elegant and self-assured, they inhabit a room with the same wit and grace as Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve.
Find vintage Jacques Adnet furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Leather Horseshoe Wall Clock by Jacques Adnet, 1950s France
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Add some intrigue to your home or office with this handsome wall clock in black saddle leather. Featuring brass hardware and contrast stitching quintessential to the refined style of...
Brass
Round Clock and Barometer in Black Leather by Jacques Adnet, France, 1950
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Paris, FR
In 1950, the designer Jacques Adnet developed a collection of furniture and accessories in stitched leather. This clock and this barometer come from this collection. They are round, ...
Brass
Jacques Adnet Rare Leather and Bronze Horseshoe Wall Clock, France, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in New York, NY
Jacques Adnet rare horseshoe wall clock covered in original black saddle-stiched leather suspended by brass hanging ring with hands and numbers in bronz...
Brass
Letter Rack by Jacques Adnet
By Jacques Adnet, Compagnie Des Arts Français
Located in Henley-on Thames, Oxfordshire
Jacques Adnet & the Compagnie des arts Français letter rack. Chromed metal consisting of a series of vertical blades of curved section resting on rectangul...
Silver Plate, Brass, Chrome
$300Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 2.75 in D 1 in
MCM Brass / Leather Long Shoehorn in the Style of Jacques Adnet by Arfango
By Jacques Adnet
Located in San Diego, CA
A very cool MCM brass and leather long shoehorn in the style of Jacques Adnet by Arfango, circa 1960s. The piece has a brass handle and Horn attached by ...
Brass
Black Industrial Factory Wall Clock from Siemens, 1950s
By Siemens
Located in Kojetice, CZ
This wall clock was produced by Siemens in Germany during the 1950s. It features a black metal frame, a metal dial and a clear glass cover. The piece has been converted into a batter...
Iron
Jacques Adnet Art Deco Crystal Balls Table Lamp, France, 1930s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Jacques Adnet Art Deco crystal balls table lamp, France, 1930s. Stamped made in France. We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vi...
Crystal, Bronze
$16,314 / set
H 20.48 in W 12.6 in D 5.52 in
French Rococo Style Gilt Bronze Clock and Barometer by Charpentier
By Charpentier et Cie
Located in London, GB
Designed in the French Rococo style, this clock and barometer set have been beautifully ornamented with scrolling foliate gilt bronze forms. The two are diamond shaped, with symmetri...
Enamel, Ormolu, Bronze
Jacques Adnet Ashtray in Leather & Glass, France 1950's
By Jacques Adnet
Located in New York, NY
Cast glass vide poche with original leather brown trim.
Leather, Art Glass
Art Deco French Enameled Silver Desk Clock
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This enameled silver desk clock is unsigned, so a specific maker cannot be identified, but the case was made in France, and the movement in Switzerland in the period and style of Art Deco. The silver content of the case has not been tested, but is believed to be Continental or .800 or just under .925 sterling, The front of the clock is ornately enameled with raised bright red flowers on each corner with contrasting black and red geometric panels with green accents, which are duplicated on the sides. The hinged back opens to gain access to the winding mechanism and the high grade Swiss movement has been professionally serviced and works well. Although barely visible, the clock is stamped on the bottom with a French...
Silver, Brass
$1,037
H 7.49 in W 7.88 in D 2.76 in
French Handstitched Brown Leather Clock, Jacques Adnet Attributed, 1950s
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Den Haag, NL
French handstitched brown leather clock, Jacques Adnet attributed, 1950s.
Brass
$1,650
H 9.75 in W 9.15 in D 4.35 in
Imhof Swiss 1950 Zodiacal Modernist 8 Days Desk Clock in Gilded Bronze and Glass
By Arthur Imhof
Located in Miami, FL
Desk clock designed by Arthur Imhof. Fabulous desk-table clock, created in Switzerland by the clocks makers house of Imhof, back in the 1950. This clock is very rare and has been ...
Crystal, Bronze, Steel
$1,520 / set
H 7.5 in W 6.25 in D 3 in
Jacques Adnet Stitched Leather and Silver Pique-Sellier Desk Accessories
By Jacques Adnet
Located in San Francisco, CA
Two Jaques Adnet leather and silvered metal "pique-sellier" desk accessories. Each cast with riding spur form frames, one with leather wallet form holder the second a tray beneath a ...
Metal, Chrome
Jacques Adnet Brass and Leather Side Table / Catchall, 1950s France
By Jacques Adnet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Stunning red leather side table / catchall by French designer Jacques Adnet. Iron frame wrapped in a beautiful red leather with glass catchall on top. A large ring with three brass ...
Brass, Iron
$999
H 5.91 in W 7.88 in D 2.37 in
Hermes Style French Handstitched Brown Leather Desk Clock by Bayard, 1950´s
By Jacques Adnet, Paul Dupré-Lafon, Bayard
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Handsome French Handstitched brown leather desk clock by Bayard. Great Restored condition. Keeps good time. Excellent patina. Great vintage condition. Paul Dupré-Lafon / Adnet Style...
Leather, Wood