James Mont Large Lacquered Sofa, USA, C. 1960
View Similar Items
James Mont Large Lacquered Sofa, USA, C. 1960
About the Item
- Creator:James Mont (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Width: 123.75 in (314.33 cm)Depth: 47 in (119.38 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: MONT 011stDibs: LU78133367232
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.
- Louis Cane, Sofa, Two-seater Sofa, France, 1995By Louis CaneLocated in New York, NYThese exceptional Louis Cane chairs unite a traditional aesthetic with a more contemporary feel. Their modern, cube-like bases and perforated backs are comp...Category
1990s French Sofas
MaterialsBronze
Price Upon Request - Jules Leleu, Art Deco Sofa with Rounded Back, French, 1930sBy Jules LeleuLocated in New York, NYA lush, upholstered sofa with rounded arms, back, and feet. These last, executed in French polished beech, serve as a charming, subtle accent. Numbered...Category
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Beech
- Guillerme et Chambron, Catherine, Sofa with Winged Arms, France, Mid-CenturyBy Guillerme et ChambronLocated in New York, NYRobert Guillerme studied design and architecture at the École Boule, graduating in 1934. After the Second World War he moved to Lille, in the north of France, where he decorated home...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- Guillerme et Chambron, Banquette Grand Repos, Two-Seater Settee, Circa 1960By Guillerme et ChambronLocated in New York, NYRobert Guillerme studied design and architecture at the École Boule, graduating in 1934. After the Second World War he moved to Lille, in the north of France, where he decorated home...Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- James Mont, Pair of Giltwood Table Lamps, United States, circa 1960By James MontLocated in New York, NYMont’s designs set him apart as a singular figure of the American midcentury. Straddling the overlapping worlds of Art Deco, Hollywood Regency, and Mid- century Modern, he conformed ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
MaterialsWood
- Georgis & Mirgorodsky, Whalebone, Contemporary Curved Sofa, USA, 2014Located in New York, NYA sweeping revision of the conventional sectional, this fabulous piece by Georgis & Mirgorodsky curls gracefully into a semicircle, and rests on a series of well-spaced, polished bro...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Sofas
MaterialsVelvet
- Pair of James Mont Sofa'sBy James MontLocated in New York, NYBeautiful James Mont Sofa's. The elegant Lattice framed Sofa's have been Newly reupholstered in an ivory colored fabric and each sofa has two separate ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Hollywood Regency Settees
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
$19,500 / set - Midcentury James Mont Velvet Mohair SofaBy James MontLocated in New York, NYMid-20th century sofa designed by James Mont. It is newly reupholstered in a taupe-toned velvet mohair. The elegant design is one of smooth lines and curves. We particularly love the...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMohair, Wood
- Unusual 1970s Asian James Mont style Black Lacquered Sofa Midcentury ChinoiserieBy James MontLocated in Pemberton, NJAsian James Mont style sofa with black painted wooden frame- open work design along the sides with gold painted details, circa 1970s. This wonder...Category
Vintage 1950s American Chinoiserie Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery
- 1960s Wingback SofaBy BovenkampLocated in Sag Harbor, NYOnly active in the 1950s and 1960s, the Dutch furniture company Bovenkamp left its mark with its furniture's solid, hardwood construction and clean, sculptural lines, clearly influen...Category
20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsWood
$13,200 - Edward Wormley Open Frame Sofa, Dunbar, USA, 1950sBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in London, GBA very rare two-seat Edward Wormley open frame sofa, made by Dunbar, in the USA, 1950s. Newly reupholstered in high quality fabric. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Edward Wormley Sofa Model 4906, Dunbar, USA, 1950sBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in London, GBAn original Edward Wormley Model 4906 sofa, made by Dunbar in the USA, 1950s. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
These Accomplished Female Makers Have a Penchant for Offbeat Organic Designs
Daring shapes and soft curves define the impressive output of five women furniture designers around the globe — in Ireland, Ukraine, Israel, Denmark and France.
Michael Coffey Stirs Emotions with Works Like His Satan’s Tongue Table
Drawing on both artistry and clever engineering, the master craftsman imbues his pieces with movement and drama.