James Mont 'Flame' Cinnabar Lacquered Chinoiserie Dining Table, 1952

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James Mont 'Flame' Cinnabar Lacquered Chinoiserie Dining Table, 1952

About the Item

James Mont cinnabar lacquered dining table with two leaves. Custom "Flame" finished. Mandarin red. Ming inspired. Extremely rare to find in such good original condition. Cross base with Asian-inspired carvings. Dimensions - table - 29" x 62" with two leaves - 12" each James Mont (1904-1978), a notorious midcentury designer and interior decorator, counted among his clients, movie stars, the glitterati of the day (Frank Sinatra was a huge fan), as well as filthy rich mafiosos. His bold, exotic, often Chinese-inspired pieces stand out in decadent relief against a field of restrained modernism. Mont’s life and work, both shrouded in mystery, were a mind-boggling mixture of the louche and the luxurious. One of the most dazzling and notorious figures in 20th century American design, James Mont burst onto the modern furnishing scene in the most unusual of ways. Beginning humbly at a Brooklyn electrical supply shop, Mont was able to transform himself into the go-to interior designer of both the New York underworld and of Hollywood royalty. Drawing on eastern influences and his own unpredictable personality, Mont’s designs and life make him one of the most intriguing figures of the American midcentury. Mont was born Demetrios Pecintoglu in Istanbul (then Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire) in 1904. It is believed, however, that he came from a family of artists and immigrated to the United States in the 1920s by way of Western Europe. While pushing his own lamp designs while working at a Brooklyn electrical retailer, Mont was noticed by a Mafioso named Frankie Yale. This opened the door for Mont to become decorator for the mob, so to speak. Mont’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 to and defied all of them. His work displays a heavy reliance on the chinoiserie style so popular in European design of the previous century. Feeling himself to be representative of “the Orient,” (remember he was from the Ottoman Empire) Mont was always trying to incorporate its aura into his furniture. Today, the painstaking skill in the executions of his lacquers, such as this amazing cinnabar infused custom "flame" lacquer, makes his work more desirable than ever. Mont was known to be an obsessive perfectionist in his executions. Oftentimes painting over his woods up to fourteen times before applying lacquer to them, Mont would then instruct his workers to rub the varnishes with chalk until they almost came off, allowing the painted colors to come through. Table fully opens to 86.5". Height 29.25", diameter 62.5".

Creator:
James Mont (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Diameter: 62.5 in (158.75 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Wood,Lacquered
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1952
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Good original vintage condition. Minor edgewear. Nicks on one edge of the pedestal. Overall stunning piece. Mont's finishes were key to his magic, so I would suggest keeping the original finish without restoration or touch up as long as possible.
Seller Location:
Brooklyn, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4190312452273

Shop All James Mont

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.