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Dressing table
Johnson - Enlarge image
Dressing table
- Place of origin:
London, England (manufactured)
- Date:
1926-1927 (manufactured)
- Artist/Maker:
Johnson (probably, designer)
Heals (manufacturer) - Materials and Techniques:
Mahogany veneered with ebony and shagreen, ivory stringing and handles
- Museum number:
W.4:1 to 8-1975
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This dressing table was made in London but shows the influence of fashionable Parisian furniture of the mid-1920s. At that time Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann was a leading designer. Like Ruhlmann's furniture, it includes very exotic materials, including shagreen (sharkskin) and ebony veneer. The handles and decorative stringing are made of ivory and even the carcase of the dressing table is made of expensive mahogany. The slender legs and delicate lines are similar to Art Deco furniture from Paris. They are also, to a lesser extent, similar to the classical French furniture made during the period 1700-1800 that influenced designers like Ruhlmann.
The design is probably by J.F. Johnson, who was designing furniture for Heal & Son at the time. The London firm is more usually associated with the Arts and Crafts style, and this dressing table shows how it was keeping abreast of fashion in the 1920s.
