Beschreibung:

EMILE-JACQUES-RUHLMANN (1879-1933)A Unique Set of Six Interior Panels from the Restaurant Drouant circa 1925 each in two sections, etched glass, gold and silver leaf, sold with a lithograph of Façade du Restaurant Drouant within Drouant menu frame; a letter written in 2010 by the Directeur de salle confirming that the panels were located in the Salon Apollinaire of the restaurant; a copy of the flyer of the restaurant showing the panels, the staircase, salon Apollinaire with one panel, etc.; and a copy of the booklet edited for the centenaire du prix Goncourt in 2003, mentioning that the panels were made by Ruhlmann large panels: 1. 66 1/4 x 27 3/8 x 5/16in; 2. 71 1/2 x 27 3/8 x 5/16in; 3. 71 9/16 x 31 1/4 x 5/16in; 4. 71 9/16 x 27 3/8 x 5/16in; 5. 71 9/16 x 27 3/8 x 5/16in; 6. 66 3/4 x 27 7/16 x 5/16in small panels: 1. 23 3/8 x 27 3/8 x 3/8in; 2. 23 5/16 x 27 5/16 x 3/8in; 3. 23 5/16 x 31 1/4 x 5/16in; 4. 23 5/16 x 27 5/16 x 1/2in; 5. 23 5/16 x 27 5/16 x 3/8in; 6. 23 3/8 x 27 3/8 x 1/2in lithograph sheet size 15 x 21 1/2in (38 x 54.5cm) FootnotesProvenance Restaurant Drouant, Place Gaillon, Paris Collection of Philippe Morateur, Los Angeles Literature L'Art Vivant vol. 22, 15th Nov 1925 pp. 24-27 Foucart, Bruno, et. al. 'Ruhlmann, un génie de l'Art déco', Somogy, Paris, 2001, pp. 55, 196 (illustrated) In the 1920s, Emile-Jacques-Ruhlmann designed the interiors of the Drouant, the popular restaurant located at 18 rue Gaillon, Paris. Begun in 1880 as a small bistro, the Restaurant Drouant was soon frequented by literary and artistic figures including Daudet, Rodin, Pisarro, and Renoir, who would dine together there on Friday nights, paving the way for the restaurant's reputation as a locus of intellectual and artistic life in Paris. Since 1914, the French literary organization l'Académie Goncourt has met in the salon Drouant, and continues to announce its famous annual prize, "Le Prix de Goncourt'' from the Ruhlmann designed bronze staircase installed there. For the Drouant project, Ruhlmann worked with architect Boileau, with whom he also worked at the Théâtre de la Michodière nearby. As an ensemblier, Ruhlmann's designs for the Drouant included the furniture, walls, staircase, ceiling (with fresco by Jean Cocteau , and wall sconces, thus he created a harmonious interior with complementary colors, forms and textures. The Drouant was a significant commission for Ruhlmann and yielded one of his most well-known designs, the dining chair, known as the "Drouant" chair which he designed in 1924 and later exhibited in his "hotel du Collectionneur" pavilion at the Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in 1925. The present set of panels appear to be unique in Ruhlmann's oeuvre. For the larger panels, the choice of stylized leafy fronds with circular seed-like organic motifs in gold and silver, exemplifies Ruhlmann's belief in nature, his understanding of exotic plants and his desire to incorporate exotic motifs and materials in his work. The conforming smaller panels each have a dense arrangement of gold bubble-like dots on black, which perfectly grounds the lighter, ethereal gold and silver of the geometrically overlapping design on the larger panels above. The fabrication of the panels was most likely by the firm of Ruhlmann & Laurent, established in 1907 after Ruhlmann's father died, himself the owner of a large decorating firm specializing in wall treatments and glass. According to the Directeur de Salle at the Drouant, the panels were located in the salon Apollinaire in the restaurant, and period photographs published in L'Art Vivant in 1925 show identical panels in situ in the main dining room. The bronze staircase Ruhlmann designed, and the few remaining panels in the restaurant, are now protected by the French government and so will never be sold.