Maison Desny Style Art Deco Modernist Box Macassar and Chrome

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This exquisite French Art Deco decorative box is reminiscent of Desny's work. It features Macassar wood hexagonal sides with chromed … Read more This exquisite French Art Deco decorative box is reminiscent of Desny's work. It features Macassar wood hexagonal sides with chromed metal accents on the lid—French Art Deco decoration at its finest, with excellent quality and a streamlined design. There is no visible maker's signature.
Dimensions: 8.50 in wide (21.5 cm) by 4.32 in deep (11 cm) by 3.13 in high (8 cm).

Note: The Maison DESNY, founded by Clément Nauny, whose surname results from the contraction of "DESsin" (drawing) and "NauNY," produces furniture, lighting, and silversmithing. Clément Nauny was born in 1900 in Oran. Upon his arrival in Paris in 1918, he immersed himself in the artistic milieu and befriended Alfred Masson and Alberto Giacometti, often frequenting the Circle of Avant-Garde Artists. This self-taught artist established the DESNY house and set up shop at 122 Boulevard des Champs-Élysées in 1927. Indirect light fixtures and modernist goldsmith pieces with a form often resembling sculpture will be an immediate success. The creations of this visionary, audacious, and astonishingly pure are part of an avant-garde movement, characterized by minimalist, asymmetrical geometric shapes. Clément Nauny is not alone in creating decorative art. He joined forces with two designers, Maurice Nauny, his brother, and Louis Poulain, as well as a workshop manager, Henri Dagneau. Most DESNY luminaires are made of nickel-plated metal and glass; some, referred to as "light decorations," serve solely to illuminate a dark corner of a room. Sometimes, mechanisms allow these lamps to adapt their shape and vary their light intensity. The best-known clients of the DESNY house are the patron Pierre-David Weill, Georges-Henri Rivière, Robert Mallet-Stevens, and the Maharajah of Indore. Clément Nauny also collaborated with renowned fashion houses such as Worth, Chanel, and Lucien Lelong to create their pieces. The Great Depression, caused by the 1929 financial crash, ultimately undermined the original approach of the House of DESNY, and in 1933, the House ceased all activity. (Credit: various websites). See less