Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann's Carpets and Rugs, Design and Designers: Henry Stephany, Maurice Picaud, Emile Gaudissard, Leon Voguet and Denise Sourzac. Part 2 of 3

I will now answer some basic questions that will help you to understand Ruhlmann's works and methods. It will hopefully spare you a lot of time and energy in reading and searching, and hopefully you will enjoy and appreciate the article.

Question 1: Who designed the Ruhlmann carpets?

Ruhlmann selected a staff of designers to translate his ideas and draw all the necessary maquettes in different scales, including the final plain scale draft of the furniture and other products from the company. From the published archives we can estimate that this was also the case for the carpets. The inspiration came either from Ruhlmann's sketches, elaborated on previously, or from his collaborators depending upon the projects. For carpet design Henry Stephany and Maurice Picaud (also called Pico) were among the most talented collaborators that were mentioned in both catalogues and press articles. Others such as Porteneuve, Fontayne, Lardin and Rousseau might also have contributed, but the documents available do not mention either their names or initials. In practise, Ruhlmann had complete control over his design studio, and all decisions needed his approval. Contrary to the furniture that was usually stamped, it seems that the carpets did not carry any signature or monogram. They might well have had a label but I have never seen one or read about their existence. It seems that the carpets were woven by only one company in Aubusson: Braquenie.

Carpet designed by Stephany for Ruhlmann, NR 3056, presenting the Viennese influence, plate 46, in Tapis by Leon Moussinac, Albert Levy ed. A similar model was in the Ruhlmann's office and was sold to Mr. Nicolle

Question 2: How can we identify Ruhlmann carpets?

The furniture, when finished was stamped with the Ruhlmann signature; the carpets do not bear any logo, monogram or signature. The drawings do not bear initials or names either. We can attribute a designers name or a Ruhlmann origin through press articles, photos and exhibition catalogues. Of course we can try looking through the different archives but so far an exhaustive catalogue has not yet been produced. Rugs presented in auction invoices or certificates might joint the lot. Otherwise you will have to rely on the expertise of the seller or a specialist in order to fully identify them.

Question 3: How many carpets have been woven?

After Ruhlmann's death a collaborator was commissioned to produce and complete the classification of the archives. The documents donated to French institutions were studied and included in this project. All recent publications have benefited from that work. It appears now that the products from Ruhlmann have a new reference number, NR, instead of the previous AN. For the carpets, their number begins with 3XXX. The Carpet Index database has about 25 carpets identified by their number, from NR 3001 to NR 3205. We also have about the same number without a reference attribution, which makes a total of about 50. We have estimated that the Ruhlmann company produced at least 200 models (the sketches are not included), but at present I am not able to estimate how many were actually woven because Ruhlmann worked like a tailor and did not hesitate to personalise each order, as I will describe in the next post. Each model could have a combination of different colour choices and sizes, as well as some slight changes in the composition. As a result the rug sales seem to have been important, but have definitely been underestimated by a number of different art historians.

Question 4: Which Ruhlmann rugs were famous?

The most famous carpets were presented in several exhibitions, the most important being the ones that took place in Paris:

1)1925, the International Decorative Art Exhibition: carpets designed by Gaudissart and Voguet NR 3175 for the Pavillon du Collectionneur, respectively for the dining room, large drawing room and for the Ambassade Francaise, the Stephany NR 3107.

2)1926, SAD, The collector's office, a carpet by Fontayne called Mouvement Perpetuel, NR 3057.

3)1927, carpet for the Tea Room of the liner Ile de France, NR 3015, AR 2512.

4)1928, SAD, La Chambre d'Apparat, the Pomp Room, carpet by Stephany, NR 3180.

5)1929, SAD, L'appartement d'un Prince Heritier des Indes du Prince a la Cite Universitaire, one sample is exhibited at the Chateau Gourdon Museum, France.

6)1930, SAD, the box of the actress Jacqueline Francel, carpet by Denise Sourzac.

7)1932, SAD, Rendez-vous des Chasseurs de Truites, two carpets by Sourzac and Picaud, NR 3058.

One must not forget that Eileen Gray, who also produced very expensive furniture for a selected international clientele, survived thanks to the rug sales in the 1920s. I hope to have demonstrated that carpet deserves to be considered as being on the same level as any other piece of furniture. It is time to end the habit of using the name of the artist in order to sell their rugs and to ignore the latter productions in referenced biographies for their unclear reasoning.

The context has been established. In the next post I will try, through the use of an example, to express the excellent choices Ruhlmann made in both decoration and carpet design and to convince you, if you still have any remaining doubts as to his genius.

News and Auctions
1)November 26 2009, Christie's, Paris, lot 30: a round carpet from Ruhlmann (part 2/2). The result was below the estimate. On December 5 2000, a large round carpet with a similar background but much wider (4m diameter), was presented in Paris by the auction house Le Mouel & Le Mouel, lot 82. The result was among the highest obtained for an Art Deco rug (2 215 280 FF, over 300 000 euros, premium included), but there is an explanation as to the high auction price, the rug was part of Ruhlmann's private furniture collection.

2)December 7 2009, Piasa, Paris: three rugs from modern artists on sale: Statmos Theodorus, Andy Warhol (Flowers) and Mark Rothko.

Article written by Jean Manuel de Noronha

Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann's Carpets: Biographical Notes and Basic Concepts in Rug Design. Part 1 of 3

I had not planned to write about Ruhlmann's carpets in 2009, but the publication of an important book of over 500 pages on this major personality of the Art Deco period has provoked a reaction from this rug documentalist. In Ruhlmann by Florence Camard, published by Monelle Hayot, ISBN 978-2-903824-66-2 (sold for about 130 euros), the author has portrayed Ruhlmann's life and productions on a chronological basis. Carpets are illustrated intermittently, but like many biographies of designers, there is no specific chapter on carpet and rug design, nor are there any extra notes devoted to the subject at the end of the book. For other interior products that were produced by the Ruhlmann company such as general textiles and wallpapers, the situation is similar. As would be expected with a biography of Ruhlmann, furniture takes a privileged position in the book. Unfortunately, the absence of any index reduces the usefulness of this massive publication for research and documentary purposes, but perhaps the book should be seen as a good introduction to the work of Ruhlmann, rather than as a detailed reference guide.

An exhaustive reference catalogue still remains to be written of the Ruhlmann archives available in the French National Library, BNF Departement des Estampes Paris, and the museums: Musee des Arts Decoratifs Cabinets des Dessins, Paris, Musee des Anees Trente, Boulogne-Billancourt and the Institute of Architecture, Paris still remains to be written. Meanwhile I will provide some complimentary information in three articles starting with this one.

Ruhlmann's Boudoir from the Hotel d'un Collectionneur for the 1925 Paris International Exhibition, plate no.2, Interieurs en Couleurs, Leon Deshairs, Albert Levy ed., 1925. The Carpet Index

Library

To present Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann (1879-November 1933) as a major cabinet-maker, the Art Deco Riesener, is of course correct, but technically he never actually produced any furniture himself. Another point is that by concentrating on the furniture output from Ruhlmanns' company, it can prevent us from appreciating his talent as an Architecte Decorateur (Architect Designer), a term he used to describe himself and one that is really an appropriate one to describe his work methods.

In the three posts dedicated to Ruhlmann I will consider the carpets produced by his company, even if there was no actual weaving workshop for textiles or rugs connected to the company. Like many other designers' studios, the company sold carpets from other independent artists such as Ivan da Silva Bruhns, Leon Voguet and Emile Gaudissard, some of whom were registered with a reference number. However, the majority of the carpets sold by the company were in fact conceived by the Ruhlmann design staff and studio.

Biographical Notes

1879 Birth in Paris.

1900 First drawings produced during military service.

1901 Works in his Father's company that dealt with house-painting, wallpaper and the manufacture of mirrors.

1907 Marriage. After his Father's death, starts to manage the family firm.

1911 First participation in the SAD, Salon des Artistes Decorateurs.

1912 First office established at 27 rue de Lisbonne.

1919 New association with a partner and founding of the Etablissement Ruhlmann & Laurent that allows him to concentrate on his decoration business.

1923 First workshop at the rue d'Ouessant. Purchase by the MET of furniture.

1925 International recognition during the Exhibition for the Pavillon du Collectionneur.

1927 Second workshop.

1932 The company is affected by the economic situation.

1933 Death of Ruhlmann. Laurent continues the painting business. Alfred Porteneuve, Ruhlmann's nephew, in charge of the closure of the decoration department.

Ruhlmann never officially studied art or design. He began by drawing intensively after 1900, and learned progressively from the partners of the Faubourg Saint Antoine who started producing his furniture before 1923. He established his own very high standards in order to try to perpetuate the excellence in cabinet-making that had been achieved in the Golden century. Before the 1920s his decoration business did not show a profit and was indeed visibly unprofitable, it was the other more commercial activities that sponsored the artistic projects. Ruhlmann was talented enough to have accumulated many occupations including that of: sketcher, designer, cabinet maker, architect and manager. As a visionary he always wanted the best and accepted that he had to pay the price for that stand, even if it meant losing money. Therefore he could be very demanding towards both collaborators and suppliers and insisted on controlling all of the details.

Ruhlmann could of course produce furniture in his own right, but he excelled in finding the right proportions between the furniture and the space that it was intended for. To achieve the objective of an elegant and seemingly effortless balance, he was ready to question all aspects of composition, colour and shape. He refused to apply systematic rules and looked for innovative solutions, even if they were not necessarily immediately noticeable at first sight. Each project was unique.

This was also true for his carpets. For him the rug was a total experience, including all aspects of the carpet from fringe, to selvedge, to pile, all were considered equal parts of the same object and the decorator had to play with each element in order to achieve the decorative aim. This is also true when considering the inner composition of the floor covering. Ruhlmann clearly refused to follow the traditional oriental models of composition and preferred rugs with all over designs and with thin or even nonexistent borders. He had a special attachment for round concentric rugs that were very complicated to compose and weave. He was very attentive to the nature of the material used for the pile and had a preference for very silky wool (mohair or merinos?), that once felt cannot be forgotten. These requirements were also true for the dye. Black for example, which seems a fairly basic standard colour to use, worked spectacularly well on a Ruhlmann carpet. The obsession with all the details makes these carpets unique and impossible to reproduce correctly through common photos.

News and Auctions

1)November 26 2009, Christie's, Paris, lot 30, a round carpet by Ruhlmann. Even if the first items of the sale belonged to Lord Rothermere's Parisian apartment, who also purchased carpets, this lot is from another origin. The carpet is composed of 15 concentric circles with different geometrical motifs, including curvilinear and broken lines. I imagine that it was inspired by Berber rectangular weavings that commonly used successive horizontal bands of geometrical motifs, but they never made a circular version. The rug has a diameter of only 250cm (98 3/8in). The knotting is coarse, about 4 to 6 Turkish knots per square cm, and they use about 6 to 7 threads of wool for the weaving of the pile, the large Ruhlmann carpets can have a lower density of knotting. The lot probably comes from Braquenie in Aubusson. I am convinced that once the pattern was transposed for the weaving it was a nightmare to weave. The weaver could not have afforded many mistakes because the concentric lines had to remain proportionate and very regular, otherwise the mistakes would be immediately perceived as it was so small in scale. It was first presented in 1925 and not 1930 as mentioned, in the showroom rue de Lisbonne, and I imagine this design had been chosen to give the firm impression of the high standards of the studio to visitors. Living in Paris I have actually seen and touched the rug, the sensation of which is of a unique combination of softness and thickness. The two brick colours are gorgeous. The carpet has been cleaned and it presents two sides like a silk carpet, due to the quality of the wool and the general good state of the piece. The estimated price of 40 to 60 000 euros might well be a little high for the present period. Do not hesitate to have a look: www.christies.com

Article written by Jean Manuel de Noronha

Present day Common Shaggy Rugs: The Ground Level of Creativity and Cultural Recognition, or How to Duplicate Scandinavian Rya Research from Ritva Puotila and Gunilla Lagerhem-Ullberg without Limits

If you look on the internet today for any cultural information concerning shaggy rugs, you will find an overwhelming number of commercial sites that will promote the fantastic decorative possibilities of these products for your interior. In the stores, sellers might well have difficulties in answering precise questions. Globally, you will find relatively few areas of information about their origin or history. A misleading comparison with the Greek flokati is sometimes presented, but in reality the development of the shag texture in floor covering is to be found in the Scandinavian tradition and the rya weavings that became popular in the late 1950s.

French magazine advertisement for a shag rug, woven by Balsan, Maison & Jardin, 1965. The Carpet Index Library

In Finland, Norway and Sweden traditional weaving generally had a composition that entailed borders and motifs. They were intended to be used as tapestries, covers or sitting mats, but not as floor coverings. In the 1960s and 1970s Danish manufacturers began to integrate plain rya rugs into their catalogues, using rectangular and circular shapes such as Ege Rya and their Island collection. This example was very quickly followed by many others, which enabled the development of the shag into many different product lines including wall to wall carpeting. These shaggy rugs were generally woven mechanically using the Axminster technique and were either made using wool or synthetic materials such as nylon or acrylic. Their commercial success in the US and Europe for example, was visible in the Sears' catalogues and in the advertising campaigns of the manufacturers, see illustration. By the 1960s they had already been able to mix colours within the pile, the wool having been treated for protection against moths, and certain backings were also treated in order to avoid slippage.

After the 1970s, industrial production decreased rapidly but research among textile designers continued. Finnish artists such as Maija Lavonen and Ritta Makinen, were the first to consider the use of different fibres such as linen, artificial silk, or even sisal mixed with wool. In 1987 Ritva Puotila further developed this research and produced, with her company Woodnotes Oy, the following collections: Woodnotes (using paper fibre) and Aapa. For Puotila, walking on her rugs produced the feeling of walking on soft sand. Later in the 1990s, the Swedish designer Gunilla Lagerhem-Ullberg developed for the Kasthall manufacturer, new lines of rug design such as Moss, Tekka and Fogg, which can still be purchased today.

All these products offered a large variety of colours and took their inspiration from Scandinavian traditional rural culture, with its respect for nature. Today when you purchase the coloured 'new' shaggy rugs in the shops or through the Internet, all of these aspects are treated as negligible. The cheap products exported from China, India and the Middle East bear no designer's name, and not even a manufacturer is mentioned. In the best case the quality of the fibre for the pile is noted, but concerning the backing which is hidden by a glued textile, no specifications of the chemicals used are provided, neither is a description given as to how the rug was looped or tufted. With time, the backing might well dry out and then the cleaning of the rug will become impossible. In comparison, the Finnish ryas are both hand woven and knotted, and use natural dyes. As a result the product will be both long lasting and the pile will be strong and resistant.

With the cheap mass manufactured rugs the quality is ultimately sacrificed. However, it is clear that in our 'modern' world economical model, there is almost no means for a European artist to have their creativity protected from Asian or any other type of copyist. Perhaps the most difficult attitude to explain is that of the silence engendered by public authorities that seem willing to accept this state of the present market as natural, leading to the ultimate demise of any form of local European production. This situation clearly reveals that attitudes within Europe concerning the decorative arts has come to such a low level of estimation and respect towards creativity, that today the context is very much one that is not at all favourable towards any form of creative product for the floor.

The invasion of cheap rugs will, in the long term, be devastating for all concerned. It is really a short term approach to imagine that the customer will not react at all. At the present time the trend in France seems to be one whereby the customer considers the purchase of a rug as being part of a fashionable act, and therefore must not be too expensive because of the constant changes in fashion. However, if this short sighted system does not change the result might well be one where we see the disappearance of the desire to own a rug and the incapacity to identify quality when it appears because the product will have so much depreciated as a creative entity, that the dream of owning a quality rug will have gone forever. With the absence of creativity the low quality and prices may well progressively impoverish this sector and discourage any design newcomers and carpet lovers into entering the profession. To illustrate my point I recently purchased in a Parisian sale at the beginning of this year, a modern hand woven rya from Ritva Puotila produced in the 1990s, measuring 1.4m x 2m for only 200 euros! The rya is like a Rothko painting, mixing linen and wool in blue tones. For me it represents the reflecting sun on the water of the Finnish lakes.

With this article I wanted to highlight the need to protect both designers and their creations, and in order to show that there is something fundamentally wrong with our model of the world economy, something in fact that is making this field of creativity completely ineffectual. I refuse to remain inactive and want to wholeheartedly support innovation and quality, irrespective of whether it comes from either East or West, but absolutely excluding all copyists.

News and Auctions

1)November 21 2009, Damien Leclere, Marseille, France: Ivan da Silva Bruhns, lot 30 (370cm x 4025cm); Paul Follot.

2)November 23 2009, Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris: lot 10 Pupsam (David Puel and Thomas Libe) single woven by Cogolin and Corneille.

3)November 24, 2009, Dorotheum, Germany: a circular carpet, very rare, by Gabriel Englinger for Studio Aran.

Article written by Jean Manuel de Noronha

The 'Ateliers d'Art': Primavera, La Maitrise, Pomone, Studium, Athelia, or the Importance of Parisian Stores Design Workshops/Studios

When I began collecting documents on oriental carpets twenty years ago I discovered the yearly catalogues that were published by the major Parisian department stores every September. It happens that the same booklets also contained pages devoted to modern furniture and rugs. Certain objects would have had special mentions, such as creation (created by) Primavera or Studium. Today I have over a hundred of them and the scale of the quantity of objects designed by these special departments appears to be huge, revealing the role played by the big stores in popularizing the Art Deco style which was fundamental, a role that has not as yet been thoroughly researched.

To understand the strength of these commercial organisations you have to remember that they were very active regarding their own marketing. Firstly, each Parisian store had a floor devoted to the promotion of their own creations so that anyone could see them without being obliged to either enter an expensive gallery or even to purchase the articles. Secondly, the catalogues were issued in their millions throughout these years, and were available within the stores, but were also distributed as mail order catalogues throughout France, the Empire and many other countries. As every product had its own reference number, each individual piece could be ordered more or less from anywhere in the world. These stores had a high presence in Paris itself, and took part in all the major yearly decorative exhibitions such as the Salon des Artistes Decoraterurs in spring and the Salon d'Automne, but were also present at international shows for the decorative arts (Venturus, John Wanamaker in New York in 1927 and Macy's exhibition again in New York in 1929). Probably one of their most important and prestigious achievements was their participation, using their own pavilions, at the 1925 Exhibition of Decorative Art in Paris.

Rare booklet cover published by Primavera for the 1925 Exhibition. The Carpet Index Library

With the high profile given to these companies and their products, it gave the opportunity for many foreign manufacturers to copy those same products throughout the 1920s. This commercial dynamism explains why today I can find 'unattributed or anonymous rugs' in the catalogues of certain American galleries that were in fact marketed and designed by the French store workshops. Finally, there was during this period, many French and British magazines that reported regularly on their products (see August 2009 posts). All this explains why the French Art Deco products succeeded whereas in other countries modernist furniture remained limited and much less popular.

But what exactly were these workshops, and when did they begin? After the failure of the French Modern style (Art Nouveau), the German and Viennese experiences, and the resistance of the established manufacturers in making radical changes in their design work, the major distributors understood that perhaps they had a commercial opportunity in trying to sell a range of modern products that were produced in a much more limited quantity.

The first and leading store was the Grands Magasins du Printemps which created the Atelier Primavera in September 1912 with two designers. Directed by Rene Guillere, who was also President of the SAD, guidelines were established. The store would employ a staff of young designers in order to create artistic and modern objects and furniture that would be sold under a workshop store collective brand name. The choice of using anonymous models is also a reason why they have not attracted the attention of art historians. Primavera referenced all the traditional arts and crafts of France and offered new models in all objects for the home. Primavera really qualified as a workshop because besides their design work they also had their own manufacturing unit for the construction of both furniture and ceramics. The name 'Primavera' is a reference to the Italian Renaissance art period and illustrates the objectives of these stores, i.e., to produce a general renewal of the home decoration market. It is only after the First World War that other Parisian stores followed the Printemps initiative. To promote their products however, the latter had to focus on the name of the managing decorator and generally had no manufacturing plants. Nevertheless, these design studios were very productive. In 1925 for example, Primavera had created over 13 000 unique products since its beginning and could count about fifteen full time collaborators, half of whom were women.

All the major stores created a studio, even if some lasted only a few years. We can really say that fierce competition existed between then and that forced the addition of new articles every year. The result was an overflow of products, resulting in a large variety of styles being offered to customers, a situation that had no comparison with any other country.

Listed below you will find for the first time, the largest and most comprehensive listing concerning the Parisian workshops.

Store name: Le Printemps

Workshop or studio name: Primavera

Managing designer: Rene Guillere

Creation date: 1912

Store name: Les Galeries Lafayette

Workshop or studio name: La Maitrise

Managing designer: Maurice Dufrene

Creation date: 1921

Store name: Le Bon Marche

Workshop or studio name: Pomone

Managing designer: Paul Follot

Creation date: 1922

Store name: Le Louvre

Workshop or studio name: Studium

Managing designer: Etienne Kohlman

Creation date: 1923

Store name: Galeries Barbes

Workshop or studio name: Lutetia

Managing designer: Andre Evrard

Creation date: 1927

Store name: Au Bucheron

Workshop or studio name: Le Sylve

Managing designer: Michel Dufet

Creation date: 1928

Store name: Les Trois Quartiers

Workshop or studio name: Athelia

Managing designer: Robert Block

Creation date: 1929

Store name: Le Palais de la Nouveaute

Workshop or studio name: Les Beaux Metiers

Managing designer: Andre Arbus

Creation date: 1930s

Store name: La Samaritaine de Luxe

Workshop or studio name: L'Atelier d'Art

Managing designer: Jean Blasset

Creation date: 1930s

To understand the importance of these actors on the market and retail stage, we have to remember that they provided work for both manufacturers and craftsmen, and that besides their full time collaborators they could also ask for assistance from other artists as well. If you add to this number the galleries and studios of other designers, you can well imagine that Paris at this particular moment in time was the world centre for the decorative arts, due mostly to the quantity and quality of the artists that were available. This powerful centralised organisation of French Art Deco contributors has nothing to do with today's world economic model, but it is certainly one of the main reasons that the movement is still present in our memories.

From this list of nine names only the first four were really successful. After the Second World War only Primavera and La Maitrise remained and were able to adapt their activities to suit the changes in the market. Today Primavera bears little resemblance to the original company and the achievements that that company produced in the past.

Why is it important to debate the issue of these workshops in a blog regarding twentieth century rug design? For the simple reasonj that during the 1920s these workshops produced some of the most creative, innovative and well designed rugs, a number of which we will present in future articles. Today, because of the work of that design period, no one could conceive of a modern decorative scheme without a carpet.

To be fair, not all of the companies offered rugs in their catalogues, but for the leaders in the field the sales impact was representative. For example, in a 1928 issue of the British magazine The Studio, an article devoted to La Maitrise reported that in 1927 more than two thirds of the total of carpets sold, apart from oriental products, were modern carpets. In the 1930s their influence in rug design was reduced because of the trend for simpler geometrical compositions woven in North Africa, namely Algeria and Morocco. The 1929 Crash and the creation of the UAM (Union des Artistes Modernes), a new organisation of designers which promoted a much more radical and non-decorative approach to design, changed the market trend. As a consequence, the more traditional and expensive French creations had difficulty in competing in the market place.

In a future post we will comment on the rug design activities of the major workshops.

News and Auctions

1)November 11 2009, Bonhams London: lot 133, Marion Dorn and a Morris & Co carpet for the Holland Park residence.

2)November 12 2009, Camard Paris: Bearskin by Moorer Eelko.

3)November 15 2009, Koller Geneva: Paul Klee and Andy Warhol (new re-edition 2008).

4)November 17-20 2009, Christie's Paris: second Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge sale: some oriental carpets (Khotan, Agra, Kazak) and three European rugs: a round one by Paule Leleu; an original and rare rug by Yvonne Fourgeaud, possibly produced by A La Place Clichy; a very nice piece from C F AS Voysey, featuring the Lisburn design.

Article written by Jean Manuel de Noronha