"Drouant" Side Chair

Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann

ca. 1925 · Macassar ebony, silvered bronze, modern silk upholstery · Modern and Contemporary Art

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.

Artist

Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann

Date

ca. 1925

Medium

Macassar ebony, silvered bronze, modern silk upholstery

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Purchase, Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1925