"Drouant" Side Chair

ca. 1925

Not on view

Ruhlmann designed this chair for the fashionable Drouant restaurant in Paris. The subtle elegance of the design, with its gracious curves, counter-curves, tapering, and swelling, makes it representative of all of Ruhlmann’s work. The Met bought this example from the designer in 1925. Its original silk damask upholstery was designed by Ruhlmann and made by a weaver in Lyon. Unfortunately, the silk was so fine that it disintegrated over time, perhaps intensified by the use of artificial dyes. The current fabric is a digitally printed reproduction that convincingly evokes the colors and texture of the original.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: "Drouant" Side Chair
Designer: Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann (French, Paris 1879–1933 Paris)
Date: ca. 1925
Medium: Macassar ebony, silvered bronze, modern silk upholstery
Dimensions: Overall: 33 7/16 × 17 3/16 × 19 3/4 in. (85 × 43.6 × 50.2 cm)
Classification: Furniture
Credit Line: Purchase, Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1925
Object Number: 25.231.3a–c
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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19th century

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