Following Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, daybed Bloch

After ÉMILE-JACQUES RUHLMANN (Paris, 1879-1933).
Bloch" bed, Art Deco style, 70s-80s.
Macassar ebony veneer. Gilded bronze applications.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use.
Measurements: 67.5 x 216 x 86 cm.

The bed in tender closely follows the original model of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, the most exalted figure of French Art Deco, who is represented in the most prestigious cultural institutions of the world as the maximum exponent of luxury and technical perfection. His masterpiece, the État cabinet, presides over the decorative arts collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York, while in Paris, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Musée d'Orsay hold his most emblematic pieces, many of which were landmarks at the 1925 International Exposition. Likewise, his integral decorative ensembles can be admired at the Musée des Années 30 and the Palais de la Porte Dorée, cementing his status as a "master of masters" in museums of the stature of London's Victoria and Albert, where his precious wood and ivory-inlaid furniture is studied as the pinnacle of 20th-century cabinetmaking.

In 1920s Paris, an effervescent capital that saw the emergence of a new wealthy class, Ruhlmann knew how to interpret the public's desire for renewed luxury, where the rigor of traditional cabinetmaking met the decorative avant-garde. The Bloch bed in tender is crowned as one of his most sophisticated and outstanding creations. It is distinguished by its robust, sober and low-profile form, with a silhouette characteristic of the Art Deco movement. Its structure features two side heads of equal height that "embrace" the mattress, giving it the appearance of a divan or daybed, which made it ideal for bedrooms that also functioned as private living rooms. The base is elevated by small discreet legs or plinths finished in gilded bronze (other versions feature it in silver), which brings a touch of light to the dark wood base.

Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann was the most influential French designer and decorator of the Art Deco period. Known as "the Odi of cabinetmakers," his name is synonymous with an aristocratic luxury that combined 18th century French tradition with a geometric and refined modernity. His creations involved the use of the most expensive materials in the world, such as Macassar ebony, amaranth wood, shark skin and delicate ivory inlays. His definitive consecration came at the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris, where he presented his "Hôtel du Collectionneur". This pavilion displayed not only furniture, but a total lifestyle (architecture, carpets, lighting and furnishings). It was there that the world understood that Art Deco was the new standard of French elegance. Among his most important creations are the Paon (Peacock) chaiselongue, a sample of his ability to stylize natural forms, or the Etat sideboard, famous for its ivory inlays forming radial or rhomboidal patterns. His works achieved a perfect balance between straight lines and subtle curves, inspired by the time of Louis XVI but stripped of excessive ornamentation.