ART DECO: Dressing Table by Ruhlmann
History
This dressing table was designed by a famous French designer of Art Deco style – Emile Jacques Ruhlmann around the years 1919-1923. It is now located at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Designed by
French designer Emile Jacques Ruhlmann (1879 – 1933). Ruhlman is considered the most prominent designer of Art Deco furniture. His creations embody the essence of glamorous French Art Deco style and, at the same time, they are unique and represent a broad range of designs.
Dimensions
Height: 119 cm, Width: 76 cm, Depth: 52.5 cm
Materials
Oak carcase, veneered with Andaman padouk (on base and vase) and purpleheart (on top and mirror back), with solid purpleheart columns, inlaid with ivory and ebony, and mahogany drawers, and silvered bronze mirror frame and fittings
Elements and Principles
Line and Symmetrical Balance. The dressing table is built on top of a stylised urn, the lines are, typically for Art Deco furniture, the dominant element applied to the design. We have curved lines of the urn, wavy lines of the urn base, as well as dotted straight lines on the table top and strong straight lines of the legs. The mirror holder has strong vertical lines, in between which we have the perfect circle line of the mirror. The principle of very symmetrical balance makes has been absolutely applied here, making the dressing table emanate strength and confidence of design.
Manufactured by
Emile Jacques Ruhlmann in France.
Used by Designers
This is quite a unique item. Art Deco dressing tables are be used by interior designers to decorate spaces that would emanate definite affiliation with the Art Deco era. Dressing tables in general have been coming out of fashion for decades now. While the incredible style of the above dresser is to be admired, it would only lend itself to decorate residential rooms or hotel rooms of either characteristically Art Deco ambiance or they would be composed together in some eclectic styles, particularly with vintage undertones.
Replicas, contemporary interpretations and influences
This item is quite unique in its design and it has not been adopted into interior decoration in the form of replicas or items that would show definite resemblance to or influence of this famous dresser.
Resources
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70933/dressing-table-ruhlmann-emile-jacques/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile-Jacques_Ruhlmann
