A MODERN MUSEUM PIECE
The mirror is composed of three simple parts : a base, a structure for the back of the mirror, and the mirror itself. A simple, elegant and ingenious construction. The Lalou mirror perfectly fits in La Chance collection and it is difficult to believe this design is almost a century old.
JACQUES-EMILE RUHLMANN
Jacques Emile Rulhmann (1879 – 1933) was a major figure of the Art Déco movement. He was both designer and decorator and he designed luxury interiors and furniture for his prestigious clients.
He created a revolutionary style but relied on the most traditional technics and noble materials. His pieces are still astonishingly modern, functional and elegant.
Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann’s artworks and patterns for wallpapers.
1920s, Paris.
Most pieces Jacques Emile Ruhlmann designed were created for specific projects and customers. This mirror is unusual as it is one of the few pieces that can be found in various projects along Ruhlmann’s career.
The idea for this simple table mirror appeared for the first time in his sketchbooks dating from the early twenties but it is found in a project for the first time in 1928 for the mansion of Mr. René Lalou -hence the name of the mirror. Mr. Lalou who was at the time the president of the Mumm champagne house. The mirror then became one of the trademarks of Ruhlmann and it was regularly featured in his projects with different materials and slightly different dimensions, becoming one of the first “edition piece” of the designer.
The original versions of this mirror are now museum pieces and regularly appear in the Art Deco auction sales and best Ruhlmann collections. La Chance partnered with the best expert of the designer to create a faithful museum quality edition of this historic piece.
ART DECO
From the beginning of the 1910s until World War II, Art Deco movement spread in the artistic world. Architecture, furniture, famous craftsmans such as the silversmith Puiforcat and jeweller Cartier, every art field embrace these new rigorous and rich codes. Taking over from the exhuberant Art Nouveau style, Art Deco comes back to pure shapes, resulting in a geometric and decorative style. The movement is partly linked to De Stijl movement and Bauhaus - contemporary of Art deco - but clearly stands out from them by the materials it uses (still traditional, less industrial) and its more ornamental than conceptual approach. The movement is also more elitist, given the materials used and the constant ambition for excellence, whereas Bauhaus - from whom many features can be found in the International Style after World War II - lays on standardisation and industrial techniques.
