Column with Small Drawers

Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann (1879-1933)
20th century, Mahogany wood

This mahogany wood column, a chest of drawers, was part of Ricci’s household furniture. A particularly fine detail can be found in the ivory drawer knobs, which stand out against the dark wood. The design seems to be attributable to Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, a Parisian designer, interior decorator, and furniture maker who enjoyed widespread fame throughout Europe around the 1920s. In 1919, in Paris, Ruhlmann had set up the firm Ruhlmann and Laurent in partnership with Pierre Laurent, where they specialised in cabinetmaking. Ruhlmann and Laurent's furniture was particularly refined and luxurious and represented a revival of the splendour of Parisian cabinetmaking from the time of Louis XV, Louis XVI, and the Empire but with an elegant, modern style, echoing some of the formal characteristics of those previous eras with a similar use of techniques and fine materials.