Two Modernist Masterpieces for the Maharaja of Indore

K nown for his extraordinary collection of Modernist furniture, the Maharaja of Indore remains a legendary figure in the world of Design. As Moderne Maharajah, Un Mécène Des Années 1930 opens this week at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Sotheby’s unveils two works previously designed for the Maharaja that are coming to auction. Modern Masters: Chefs-D’œuvre D’une Collection Privée (11 December, New York) presents a superlative collection of Modernist Art and Design by top European masters. Among the sale’s highlights are the Chaise Longue “aux Skis” by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann and a floor lamp by Eckart Muthesius. Below, discover more about these two important objects, as well as how Western avant-garde culture inspired the Maharaja’s interiors.

Past Auction

Modern Masters: Chefs-d’œuvre d’une Collection Privée

11 December 2019 | 6:00 PM EST | New York

The Chaise Longue “aux Skis” was originally designed by Ruhlmann in 1929 as part of a suite for the heir to the Indor Kingdom of India, Yashwant Rao Holkar II. The suite was presented that same year at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs in Paris as a “studio-chambre pour un prince hériter,” maintaining the confidentiality of the Maharaja's name while he selected works for his future palace. The suite included never-before-seen pieces of furniture, including the present Chaise Longue. Though the chaise was not used for the palace, the model has become emblematic of the avant-garde designs conceived for this historic commission. Based on period references, only two models appear to have been executed. The only other known example of the chaise presents with minor variations, namely the absence of lacquer on the armrest and the absence of electric switches controlling the heating system located on the footrest. The whereabouts of this alternate model are unknown, making the present Chaise Longue the only recorded example of the model to date.

The designs that Ruhlmann presented at the Salon were praised by the critics of the time, notably René Chavance from Art et Décoration who described Ruhlmann’s newest creations as refreshing, modern and elegant, and Jacques Baschet from L’Illustration who emphasized the notions of idleness and comfort in his review of the Salon.

The ensemble illustrates a key moment in Ruhlmann’s career in which he sought to reconcile the radically simplified forms of the modern age brought forward by newcomers like Le Corbusier with the more traditional Art Deco style that brought him to fame in the early to mid-1920s. This transition is best demonstrated here through the use of new materials like chromium-plated steel and radically dynamic forms. The Chaise Longue itself presents with an adjustable, black-lacquered wood frame; a heated footrest; a side lamp located to the proper right side of the backrest; and the particularly creative use of skis as a base, a device that Ruhlmann used on other pieces from the Studio-Chambre suite including a bar cabinet and a leather-upholstered armchair. The result is a truly modernist and innovative masterpiece created for an international patron of avant-garde architecture and design.

It was in 1928 that Yashwant Rao Holkar II met Eckart Muthesius, a young German architect and designer. The prince, having studied in Great Britain and traveled to France and Germany, was fascinated by the Western avant-garde culture and the fresh breath of modernity that blew through Europe. Within this context, the young prince commissioned Muthesius to realize his palace, Manik Bagh. From 1929 to 1932, Muthesius dedicated his energy to the creation of this Modernist mansion. The architecture of the palace was finalized in 1931.

While being incredibly spare from the outside, the palace was filled with European avant-garde masterpieces. The Maharaja, who was coronated in 1930, acquired works by Eileen Gray, Rene Herbst, Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Louis Sognot and Ivan Da Silva Bruhns but also took a close look at the early beginnings of industrially manufactured furniture, as seen in the lounge chair by Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier placed in the Maharaja’s private bedroom and pieces by the British manufacturer PEL used in the guestrooms.

The core furniture, lighting and interior was been designed by Muthesius himself in concordance with his modernist architectural vision, and with the intent to create a complete work of art. The present floor lamp design was used in the bedrooms of the Maharaja and Maharani as evidenced by period photographs. This model is one of six different floor lamp designs created specifically for the palace. In 1980, Sotheby’s organized in Monaco a landmark sale of furniture from Manik Bagh Palace, in which the present lamp was previously offered.

Lead Image: Bernard Boutet de Monvel, S.A.R. Le Maharadjah d'Indore. Sold for €2,499,000 at Sotheby's Paris in April 2016.

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