Period Art Deco Hall Tree C. 1920

An artistic iron worker sat in his atelier staring at a pile of steel. The bars, plates and sheets of metal beckoned him. They wanted to be transformed into something of lasting beauty; but he was not yet ready to create. He needed a moment to contemplate, plan, and perhaps find some inspiration. He thought about his father, the man who introduced him to the trade. He was also an iron worker and had actually worked on the Eiffel Tower. When he was a child he would secretly sneak out to watch his father work. Even though he could not see him high up on the tower, he had an active imagination. His father was mad when he decided to follow in his footsteps. He wanted his son to go to college. “You can do better,” he said. But the son disagreed. There was something magical about taking steel and making it conform to his will; to bending and shaping something so rigid; to coaxing an object of beauty out of something so plain.

The ornate hand forged steel frame embodies luxury and glamour

He turned his attention to the present and looked again at the pile of steel. He began to envision parts made out of the raw stock sitting by his workbench. He had the rare capacity to create a blueprint in his mind. He looked at his anvil and a heavy hammer by the forge. It was already lit and the red hot coals inside were glowing a familiar, bright red. It was almost time to start. In his mind’s eye, he already saw the finished piece he had been commissioned to create. It was composed of swirls and wavy vertical lines interspersed with solid straight bands of steel. It was made to accommodate everyday objects as well as a mirror; and it was functional as well as beautiful. It was a hall tree, and was to be done in his signature style, which a decade before a critic for le Monde labeled “Art Deco.” Long ago he had rejected the natural forms of Art Noveau for the symmetry of his own style, and now despite his protestations, he was being hailed a father of Art Deco. He believed it was a title that would have made his father proud.

This week’s New Arrival features an iron Art Deco hall tree from France, the country where the style originated. It is a period piece combining form and function with impeccable craftsmanship and design. Working upward it has compartments for umbrellas including receptacles in case they are wet, a marble half round table below the mirror for visitors’ calling cards, and small arms meant to gracefully hold the coats and gloves of whomever it serves. All the supports and decoration of the piece were painstakingly and expertly hand crafted, pounded, and riveted together. The piece has character extending far beyond its form. At one time it made its way into a fine home in the St. Germain District. Now it finds itself seeking a new home. Despite changing tastes and artistic movements it never went out of style. In fact, it is a patient reminder that some styles endure, and like the man who created it, carries the torch from one generation to the next.

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