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Lot Essay
The January 1933 issue of the journal Mobilier et Décoration devoted an extensive, well-illustrated feature, ‘Eugène Printz Décorateur’, to this Parisian furniture designer and decorator who had come to prominence in the previous few years. Author René-Jean suggested that if he had to define Printz’s particular talents in two words, he would propose ‘ingenuity’ and ‘taste’. He is on target in drawing attention to the designer’s clever and ever-meticulous attention to detail and to his sure eye for visual harmony and logic.
The handsome cabinet presented here is immediately recognizable as the work of Printz and well displays the above-quoted attributes. The characteristic formal rigor of the rectangular silhouette is punctuated by the elegant scrolls that give a light and playful flourish to the feet. The choice of palmwood, a signature material for the artist, adds a note of exoticism. Closer attention confirms his concern for fine cabinet-making; and his eye for detail is evident in the elegance of his simple and practical bronze medallion handles. The cabinet well exemplifies Art Deco in transition from the decorative opulence typical of the early 1920s towards a more clean-lined, architectural style. But Printz’s work remained distinct from that of the utopian modernists of the Bauhaus in Germany or the UAM in France. His professional determination was to create luxurious furniture and settings for a privileged and sophisticated clientèle.
The present sideboard or a model of this sideboard was presented by Printz at the 1943 Salon d'Automne in Paris.
The handsome cabinet presented here is immediately recognizable as the work of Printz and well displays the above-quoted attributes. The characteristic formal rigor of the rectangular silhouette is punctuated by the elegant scrolls that give a light and playful flourish to the feet. The choice of palmwood, a signature material for the artist, adds a note of exoticism. Closer attention confirms his concern for fine cabinet-making; and his eye for detail is evident in the elegance of his simple and practical bronze medallion handles. The cabinet well exemplifies Art Deco in transition from the decorative opulence typical of the early 1920s towards a more clean-lined, architectural style. But Printz’s work remained distinct from that of the utopian modernists of the Bauhaus in Germany or the UAM in France. His professional determination was to create luxurious furniture and settings for a privileged and sophisticated clientèle.
The present sideboard or a model of this sideboard was presented by Printz at the 1943 Salon d'Automne in Paris.