Jean Royère - Design London Thursday, May 12, 2022 | Phillips
  • Provenance

    Private collection, London

  • Literature

    Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean Royère, Paris, 2002, p. 103
    Galerie Jacques Lacoste and Galerie Patrick Seguin, Jean Royère, Volume 1, Paris, 2012, p. 298, Volume 2, p. 77
    Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean Royère, Paris, 2017, p. 110

  • Catalogue Essay

    The present lot is an arresting example of French designer Jean Royère’s recurrent use of round motifs in his creations. His design language notably drew upon dots, circles, balls, and perforations. Be it in larger furniture pieces or smaller objects, he returned to patterns that are unmistakably associated with his decorative flair. The simple yet dynamic form of this perforated brass candle holder is a testament to his imaginative approach to ornamental design.

  • Artist Biography

    Jean Royère

    French • 1902 - 1981

    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.

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14

'Perforation' candle holder

circa 1945
Brass.
12.8 x 72.2 x 11 cm (5 x 28 3/8 x 4 3/8 in.)

Estimate
£10,000 - 15,000 

Sold for £44,100

Contact Specialist

Antonia King

Head of Sale, Design
+44 20 7901 7944

Antonia.King@phillips.com

Design

London Auction 12 May 2022