Wrapped Wrapped Adnet Leleu Quinet Royere
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Wrapped Wrapped adneT LeLeu QuineT royere MAISON GERARD 43 & 53 East Tenth St. New York NY 10003 Wrapped: an inTroduction The Bauhaus school’s innovations in tubular metal furniture were a significant influence on French art deco designers (including Louis Sognot, rené Herbst, Le Corbusier and Charlotte perriand) who rejected the neoclassical ideals of their predecessors in favor of more streamlined modern designs. However, it wasn’t until the post-war period of the 1950s that tubular furniture would again resurface and gain recognition in France with the works of designers such as Jacques adnet, Jules Leleu, Jacques Quinet and Jean royère. in post-war France, the Marshall plan brought about economic and social changes that fundamentally altered the way of life. industry set about rebuilding itself, exploring new technologies and materials, including synthetics and alloys produced during wartime experiments. in reaction to the intensifying urban and industrial concentration, people sought relief in the great outdoors and developed a passion for country living. despite the traditionally conservative and refined French sensibility, the post-war mood resisted ostentation and second homes called for more carefree and easier to maintain furnishings. a happy medium was furniture made of tubular metal and wrapped in natural materials such as rattan, malacca (rattan found on the coast of Sumatra) and leather, as well as newer man-made materials such as leatherette, laminate and plastic wiring. although ideals of luxury and elegance continued to prevail in France, an avant- garde visionary such as Jacques adnet (head of the Compagnie des Arts Français) was continually looking to incorporate new materials and techniques. at the 1949 Salon des Artistes Décorateurs (SAD), he presented the Salle Commune Champêtre (pastoral Communal room), his modern take on the traditional great room in a country house, appointed with solid oak furniture wrapped in leather. Le Décor d’Aujourd’hui hailed it as “the most beautiful manifestation of decorative arts we’ve seen since the war.” Met with such success, adnet continued to design with this rustic elegance, moving away from precious woods to create an even lighter series made of tubular metal wrapped in leather. (The saddle stitching on leather was done by hand at the workshop of robert pinchon, director of Artistes Artisans Associés.) The emphasis on ease and away from ornamentation, and the use of natural leather—and, later, leatherette and rattan—significantly transformed the status quo, giving rise to a new aesthetic. even Jules Leleu wrapped his furniture in leather, including tables and chairs for projects such as the ocean liner S.S. France. at the time, Jacques Quinet was another proponent of simple lines, exquisite details and functional design. The economic climate of the post-war period compelled the designer to create his own tubular furniture wrapped in leather and leatherette. While working with the lighter and less costly tubular metal, he never neglected form, playing instead with the possibilities offered by bending the tubes. Like adnet before him, Quinet also collaborated with robert pinchon, his neighbor from normandy who quickly became a friend. in 1957, they created a line of furniture in saddle-stitched leatherette, a new form of artificial leather. one of its primary advantages, especially in seating, is that it requires much less maintenance than leather and does not crack or fade easily. These designs, from Gouache & pencil rendering of the apartment of the commander of the ocean liner Ferdinand de Lesseps by Jacques Adnet (1900- 1984), 1951 Gift of Mme. Jacques Adnet, 1994. sofas to beds, furnished the interiors of ocean liners, private residences and Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France. offices, including Ciments français, a cement factory in northern France. Many of the bedrooms in Quinet’s own country home, La Renardière, were furnished his career, however, featured the use of tubular metal furnishings and rattan, with his line of brown and blue leatherette furniture. and these materials resurfaced time and time again in his later work. despite a strong element of classicism in royère’s design, there is also a progressive This quintessentially modern balance of informality and refinement was also modernist feeling to his furniture and interiors. The collection he created for his embraced by Jean royère. a favored designer of Middle eastern royalty— personal quarters at Loch-Bihan, his family’s estate, is a fine example of the wit including Saudi, egyptian and Jordanian kings and the Shah of iran—royère and curiosity that infuse royère’s uniquely avant-garde style. was no stranger to sumptuous luxury. Most of his time and energy were devoted to making commissioned pieces for his wealthy clients in europe and the Middle east, and unlike the functionalists, he rejected the mass production of contemporary design, refusing to make series furniture. early commissions in FINE AND RARE ROUND COFFEE TABLE DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Original bordeaux leather, bronze orna- ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 ments & partially mirrored glass top. HEIGHT: 15” DIAMETER: 35 ½” PAIR OF ARMCHAIRS DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) PAIR OF LOUNGE CHAIRS DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Black saddle-stitched leather with ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 Saddle-stitched leather with back and ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 brass sabots. partial seats upholstered in black pony HEIGHT: 28” WIDTH: 27” DEPTH: 28” hide. With “X” stretchers, legs ending HEIGHT: 28¾” WIDTH: 29” DEPTH: 27” Seat HEIGHT: 15½” ARM HEIGHT: 22½” in brass sabots. SEAT HEIGHT: 14½” ARM HEIGHT: 23¼” RARE PAIR OF ARMCHAIRS DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Original saddle-stitched leather ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 & bamboo. HEIGHT: 32¼” WIDTH: 29½” DEPTH: 28” SEAT HEIGHT: 25” ARM HEIGHT: 16½” PAIR OF TWO-DOOR CABINETS DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) PAIR OF LOUNGE CHAIRS DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Saddle-stitched leather with brass ring ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 Saddle-stitched leather with leather ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 handles and brass faux bamboo legs. straps running down the backs of chairs. HEIGHT: 33½” WIDTH: 34¾” DEPTH: 30¾” Legs ending in brass sabots. HEIGHT: 30½” WIDTH: 27” DEPTH: 31½” SEAT HEIGHT: 15“ ARM HEIGHT: 26½” PAIR OF OPEN ARMCHAIRS DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Saddle-stitched leather on brass ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 faux bamboo arms and legs with caned seat & back. HEIGHT: 32¾” WIDTH: 20” DEPTH: 21¾” SEAT HEIGHT: 17½” ARM HEIGHT: 25” PAIR OF TRIPOD BASE FLOOR LAMPS DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) TRIPOD BASE FLOOR LAMP DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Original saddle-stitched leather on faux ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 Brass stem and tripod base with the ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 bamboo brass stem ending on tripod base. lower portion of stem covered in its HEIGHT: 70” BASE DIAMETER: 16½” original saddle-stitched leather. HEIGHT: 68½” BASE DIAMETER: 16” SHADE DIAMETER: 20¼” SHADE DIAMETER: 11¼” TWO-DOOR ARMOIRE DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Oak with original burgundy saddle- ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 stitched leather wrapped metal legs and strap details. HEIGHT: 69¼” WIDTH: 49¼” DEPTH: 27¾” Seat HEIGHT: 25” PAIR OF SIDE TABLES DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) STOOL DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Red saddle-stitched leather with ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 Original brown saddle-stitched leather. ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 brass drawer pulls, lower shelves, Provenance: Mrs. Barrière’s Master and sabots. Bedroom decorated by Carlhian, Hotel HEIGHT: 17¼” WIDTH: 17½” DEPTH: 14” Majestic, Cannes. HEIGHT: 22½” WIDTH: 24” DEPTH: 12¾” RARE TWO-DOOR CABINET DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Oak cabinet on black wrought iron frame ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 with rope details. HEIGHT: 42” WIDTH: 56½“ DEPTH: 21” WALL-MOUNTED SHELvES DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Metal hanging system with shelves ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 covered in leather & trimmed in bamboo. dimensions vary PAIR OF TABLE LAMPS DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) RARE PAIR OF TALL TWO-ARM SCONCES DESIGNER: Jacques Adnet (1901-1984) Original saddle-stitched leather on ORIGIN: France, circa 1960 Original saddle-stitched leather and ORIGIN: France, circa 1950 faux bamboo brass stem ending on bronze with wicker shades. tripod base. HEIGHT: 23” BASE DIAMETER: 6½” HEIGHT: 40” WIDTH: 20½“ DIAMETER: 17½” SHADE DIAMETER: 14” SINGLE ARMCHAIR DESIGNER: Jules Leleu (1883-1961) SINGLE SIDE CHAIR DESIGNER: Jules Leleu (1883-1961) Covered in original saddle-stitched ORIGIN: France, circa 1957 Covered in original saddle-stitched ORIGIN: France, circa 1957 green leather and leatherette with legs green leather and leatherette with legs ending in gilt-bronze sabots. HEIGHT: 33½” WIDTH: 23½” DEPTH: 22” ending in gilt-bronze sabots HEIGHT: 33¼” WIDTH: 20½” DEPTH: 22” Seat HEIGHT: 18½” ARM HEIGHT: 26” SEAT HEIGHT: 18½” FLOOR LA MP DESIGNER: Jacques Quinet (1918-1992) RECTANGULAR TWO-TIER SIDE TABLE DESIGNER: Jacques Quinet (1918-1992) Original saddle-stitched leatherette ORIGIN: France, circa 1960 Laminated top and lower shelf with legs ORIGIN: France, circa 1960 and nickeled metal. covered in original saddle-stitched HEIGHT: 66” BASE DIAMETER: 15” leatherette ending in brass sabots. HEIGHT: 16” WIDTH: 24¼” DIAMETER: 16¼” SHADE DIA METER: 20” THREE-SEATER SOFA DESIGNER: Jacques Quinet (1918-1992) TWO OF A SET OF FOUR SLIPPER CHAIRS DESIGNER: Jacques Quinet (1918-1992) Original saddle-stitched leatherette