James Mont, Cabinet with Caryatids, United States, C. 1960
View Similar Items
James Mont, Cabinet with Caryatids, United States, C. 1960
About the Item
- Creator:James Mont (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30.5 in (77.47 cm)Width: 74 in (187.96 cm)Depth: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:Glass,Silvered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: MONT 051stDibs: LU78138743903
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.
- 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
- Michael Coffey, Ebbtide I, Wall-Mounted Cabinet, United States, 2020By Michael CoffeyLocated in New York, NYA sculptural cabinet carved in solid Mozambique. Coffey debuted this style of carving at Directional Furniture in New York, in 1972. In the 90’s he revived it, ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Cabinets
MaterialsWalnut
- Antonio Pio Saracino, Pyrite, Contemporary Console Cabinet, United States, 2021Located in New York, NYSigned and dated. Antonio Pio Saracino’s furniture is of a piece with his sculptural and architectural projects. Of ingenious and meticulous design and execution, each work is perfe...Category
2010s American Cabinets
MaterialsWood, Ash
- Modernist Rectangular Mirror, United States, circa 1960Located in New York, NYThis remarkable mirror has a frame made up of an intriguing pattern of bisected brass cylinders, oxidized variously to create a beautiful almost natural effect that sets up order in ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
- James DeWulf, Exo, Concrete & Steel Leaning Shelf, United States, 2021By James DewulfLocated in New York, NYLos Angeles-based artist James De Wulf, has been widely recognized for his original and innovative work with concrete design. Known for his commitment to pushing the limits of his ar...Category
2010s American Shelves
MaterialsConcrete, Stainless Steel
- Michael Coffey, "Titan" Monumental Bar Cabinet, United States, 1978By Michael CoffeyLocated in New York, NYThis sculptural cabinet is carved from solid, 4-inch thick Mahogany, and weighs 900 lbs. It is divided in two halves. One half is a door, which swings out on hidden hinges and concealed casters. The other half contains revolving shelves...Category
Late 20th Century American Dry Bars
MaterialsMahogany
- James Mont CabinetBy James MontLocated in West Palm Beach, FLOriental Carved bamboo two door cabinet with a light up top. Original silver leaf on the bamboo,original open grain ceruse finish over oak. With Four adjustable shelvesCategory
Vintage 1940s American Bookcases
MaterialsWood
$6,500 - Spectacular James Mont CabinetBy James MontLocated in New York, NYSpectacular James Mont cabinet Newly restored in a stunning high gloss lacquered finish. The cabinet features two center doors with adjustable interior shelves and six side drawers....Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsSoftwood
- James Mont Console CabinetBy James MontLocated in Hanover, MABlonde polished lacquer console cabinet by James Mont (1904-1978), the father of "exotic modernism" who introduced "orientalism" into America...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWood
$21,000 - James Mont Console CabinetBy James MontLocated in Hanover, MAGrand scale console cabinet in hand rubbed black lacquer finish by James Mont (1904-1978), the "godfather of exotic modernism" who introduced "orientalism" into American 20th century...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
$14,750 - James Mont Mirrored Cabinet, 1950sBy James MontLocated in New York, NYExceptional 1950s mirrored cabinet by James Mont. This beautifully executed mirrored cabinet has a hand-carved deeply beveled silver leaf and burnish frame. The cabinet features fou...Category
Vintage 1950s American Cabinets
- Minimalist Cabinet by James MontBy James MontLocated in New York, NYStunning Minimalist cabinet by James Mont. The cabinet has been newly refinished in a high gloss white lacquer. The lacquered doors are accented by the silver leaf "X" door pulls.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsLacquer
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.