Edgar Brandt

Cheney Brothers, New York, 1924

Christie's New York, December 15, 2010, lot 381

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Joan Kahr, Edgar Brandt: Master of Art Deco Ironwork, New York, 2010, p. 149 (for related examples)

The present wrought iron Tree Sculpture is perhaps one of the few existing vestiges of Edgar Brandt’s most important American commission. Designed for the showroom of the distinguished silk manufacturer, Cheney Brothers, Brandt also crafted exterior and interior ironwork for the first four floors of their New York headquarters within the Madison Belmont Building. Despite often being cited as one of the first instances of Art Deco architectural design in the United States, hardly anything remains of the wrought-iron and gilded bronze entrance doors, window grilles, interior gates, mirrors, and display mounts all meticulously crafted in Paris at Brandt’s Boulevard Murat atelier. 

In addition to the present form, Brandt created an ensemble of Tree sculptures to imaginatively display Cheney's fine silks. Each sculpture was unique in motif, some with cactus-like leaves, others with Egyptian fans and Peapods. The current lot is of a more refined configuration, bearing elegantly tapered leaves and Brandt’s signature 'potato peel' spirals, imbuing the work with a modern yet distinctly Art Deco spirit.