Set of Eight 1940s Dining Chairs by James Mont
View Similar Items
Set of Eight 1940s Dining Chairs by James Mont
About the Item
- Creator:James Mont (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 21 in (53.34 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 8
- Style:Chinoiserie (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Hudson, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU87911645132
James Mont
James Mont’s life as an unmistakably talented furniture designer and interior decorator could fill the pages of a best-selling novel or be reimagined as a Hollywood feature film. From the 1930s through the 1960s, Tinseltown’s glitterati and Manhattan’s Mafia underworld coveted his sofas, coffee tables and table lamps.
Mont was born Demetrios Pecintoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1904 to a family of artists. He reportedly studied architecture and art in Spain and France, and during the 1920s, Mont immigrated with his family to the United States.
Mont and his family settled in New York, where he found work in a Brooklyn electrical supply shop. There he sold hardware and designed his own lighting fixtures. The latter caught the eye of a gangster named Frankie Yale, who commissioned him to refurnish his house. Mont’s opulent designs drew on Art Deco, Hollywood Regency and were occasionally marked by chinoiserie, then a very popular trend in decorating. He created the kind of low-profile side tables and sofas that are frequently associated with mid-century modernism, and he is credited today with helping popularize the integration of Asian influences in modern American design.
Mont soon attracted New York City’s most infamous crime bosses, including Charles “Lucky” Luciano and Frank Costello. For a range of mobsters, he created fashionable, functional and sophisticated pieces such as collapsible home bars that would fold down and out of view — a particularly convenient feature during Prohibition — and tables and desks with secret drawers, which were also handy to Mont’s shady clientele.
“You bought a bar from him, and he would also deliver booze in a baby carriage,” antiques dealer and furniture retailer Todd Merrill told New York about Mont in 2008.
Mont designed a room for the World’s Fair in 1939 and later befriended Hollywood celebrities such as Bob Hope, who was best man at his wedding, Irving Berlin and Lana Turner. During the 1940s and ‘50s, Mont continued designing furniture, mastering finishing techniques such as lacquering and incorporating a distinctive “leafing” print effect with silver and gold into his pieces.
Mont’s designs enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s, and his pieces continue to be sought after by collectors.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage James Mont sideboards, tables and storage cabinets.
- Set of Eight James Mont Lacquered Dining ChairsBy James MontLocated in Rio Vista, CAMagnificent set of eight black lacquered Mid-Century Modern dining chairs designed by James Mont. The chairs feature an Asian foliate motif decorated back splat with a dramatic high gloss lacquer finish. The frames are made of thick round hardwood with a gracefully curved back. The crestrail is reminiscent of a Chinese official hat chair...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Hardwood
$12,000 / set - Set of Eight Art Deco Influenced Dining Chairs by James MontBy James MontLocated in New York, NYSet of eight Art Deco influenced dining chairs by James Mont The beautifully carved chairs have the original silver leafed finish which is in Great condition with minimal wear and t...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSilver Leaf
- Set of Eight 1940s French Dining Chairs by Maison JansenBy Maison JansenLocated in London, GBA set of eight 1940s limed oak dining chairs by Maison Jansen with high straight backs, shaped wonderfully at the top with the flourish of a double curved arch. The lower frame of ea...Category
Vintage 1940s French Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- James Mont Attributed Set of 4 Chairs White LacquerBy James MontLocated in Westport, CTSet of 4 James Mont attributed white lacquer pierced leg dining chairs.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Foam, Wood
- French 1940s Set of Eight High-Back Dining ChairsLocated in Philadelphia, PAFrench 1940s Art Deco dining chairs, set of eight in beech with bronze mounts and high, tapered backs. Please note these chairs are unrestored in the photographs. Chairs can be cu...Category
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech
$26,000 / set - French 1940s Set of Eight Dining Chairs in BeechLocated in Philadelphia, PAFrench 1940s Art Deco dining chairs, set of eight in beech. Please note these chairs are unrestored in the photographs. Chairs can be custom-stained. We will be happy to discuss y...Category
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBeech
$18,000 / set