Signature Modern Treasures by Jean Royère

Jean Royère Large ‘Tour Eiffel’ console, designed circa 1947, produced circa 1955 (Lot 9). Design London.

Featured in our Design auction in London on 31 October are five exquisite exemplars of Jean Royère’s work that come with a remarkable single owner provenance.

In the late 1940s, Jean Royère opened an office with the Lebanese architect Nadim Majdalani on Avenue des Français in Beirut after the two had met in Paris. Their collaboration, which continued through the 1960s, comprised many residential and commercial projects throughout Lebanon, which at that time was experiencing a great deal of growth. Royère established a thriving international practice in Lebanon and his commissions there were featured in French publications during the period.

The present Console in the original home it was acquired for, Beirut. Photo: Private family archive.

The present collection of Jean Royère lots (from Lot 9 to Lot 13) in our London auction was acquired at the Galerie L'Atelier opened in 1955 by Majdalani to permanently showcase Royère's works. Mr. Ali Bazzi, a former Lebanese diplomat whose illustrious career includes posts as the Lebanese ambassador to Kuwait and Jordan, moved into a new house shortly after his wedding between 1954 and 1956, for which they acquired these five striking pieces.

Jean Royère Pair of chairs, circa 1955 (Lot 13). Design London.

The designs include some of Royère’s quintessential motifs such as the ‘Tour Eiffel’ lattice on the console and reveal the decorator’s predilection for sinuous curves as seen in the clover-shaped tabletop of the coffee table. The overall perforations and balls on the feet of the chairs and armchairs, as well as the rings at the feet of both tables are also another recurrent feature in Royère designs making this group a wonderfully emblematic selection of Royère’s creative output.