Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann 1925 Hydravion Sofa in off White & Gilt Legs 1980s Copy

As noted in the 1982 catalog, this design is probably the most famous of all Ruhlmann upholstered furniture. First appearing in 1925 in the L’Ambassade Francaise at L’Exposition des Arts Decoratits. variations of the swooped back and the gracefully sculptured silvered bronze legs appeared throughout Ruhlmann’s career. He produced the design, as Interior Crafts is reproducing it as a lounge chair. love seat and sofa. The original silvered-bronze legs were used as molds for these pieces – exact replicas of the original.

The model, from which this group was recreated. was sold at auction at Sotheby’s and purchased for the private collection of an international Chinese restaurateur.

Provenance Vingt-Collection by Richard Himmel & Associates

Bio from the Chicago Tribune :

Mr. Himmel, 79, a longtime resident of the Chicago area, died Wednesday, April 5 2000, in Palm Beach, Fla., after a long illness.

Richard Himmel’s ebullient personality, flamboyant lifestyle and international success as an interior designer could never mask his literary and contemplative sides, which manifested themselves in more than a dozen best-selling novels.

He would become one of the country’s best known and most successful designers. As well as designing residential projects for wealthy and high-profile clients such as Irv Kupcinet and Muhammad Ali, Mr. Himmel worked on corporate jets, country clubs, banks, restaurants and nightclubs.

“Dick Himmel was our star,” said local designer Holly Hunt. “All of Chicago design was influenced by him. . . . He was a treasure.”

Mr. Himmel was inducted into the Interior Designers Hall of Fame in 1985. He was a founder of the Chicago Designers Club.

References:

Florence Camard, Ruhlmann: Master of Art Deco, New York, 1983, pp. 33, 80, 134 and 202
Emmanuel Bréon, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann: The Designer’s Archives, vol. 1, Paris, 2004, p. 87 (for a sketch of the model)
Florence Camard, Ruhlmann, Paris, 2009, p. 87.