As the Tour Eiffel name suggests, the interlacing framework of the present coffee table references the wrought iron latticework of Paris’ most iconic landmark. Royère introduced this motif into his work as early as 1939 but it did not assume its mature form until 1947 when he showcased the present coffee table model in his living room display at the Résidence Française exhibition organized by Art et Industrie magazine. In the late 1940s and into the 1950s, Royère incorporated the present model in a number of his important private commissions, including the Paris apartments of Jacques Levy-Ravier, M. Guillot, and M. Cuny. “Tradition [is] not the enemy of newness.” —Jean Royère
Royère opted for a style that is at once whimsical yet incredibly practical. In many of his works, the decorative elements themselves become integral to the structure. For the present coffee table, for example, the latticework of iron rods and bronze balls are not only aesthetic decorative choices but they also create the structure on which the glass tabletop sits. Beyond this consideration of form and function, the ways in which the pattern work creates dramatic and interesting shadows on the floors and walls in which the object exists was a larger, architectural consideration.
This lattice and ball motif appeared in a range of other designs by Royère, including stools, console tables, occasional tables, mirrors, floor lamps, wall lamps, fireplace screens, mirrors, trays, and doors. He created at least two coffee table forms with the Tour Eiffel motif. The first version consisted of a rectangular steel frame, as seen in the present lot, whereas around 1955, Royère introduced a coffee table where the legs formed a concave arc.
Provenance
DeLorenzo 1950, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner, circa 2009
Literature
“La Résidence Française,” Art et Industrie, June 1947, p. 20 Jean Royère, Décorateur à Paris, exh. cat., Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 1999, p. 25 Galerie Jacques Lacoste and Galerie Patrick Seguin, Jean Royère, Volume 1, Paris, 2012, pp. 142, 147-8 Galerie Jacques Lacoste and Galerie Patrick Seguin, Jean Royère, Volume 2, Paris, 2012, pp. 62, 92-3 Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean Royère, Paris, 2017, p. 144
Jean Royère took on the mantle of the great artistes décorateurs of 1940s France and ran with it into the second half of the twentieth century. Often perceived as outside of the modernist trajectory ascribed to twentieth-century design, Royère was nonetheless informed by and enormously influential to his peers. Having opened a store in Paris in 1943 before the war had ended, he was one of the first to promote a new way of life through interior decoration, and his lively approach found an international audience early on in his career.
In addition to commissions in Europe and South America, Royère had a strong business in the Middle East where he famously designed homes for the Shah of Iran, King Farouk of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan. The surrealist humor and artist's thoughtful restraint that he brought to his furniture designs continue to draw admiration to this day.