Style Art Deco / Ref.13328

Armand Albert RATEAU (création) Baguès FRÈRES (exécution) double-porte Art déco en fer forgé polychrome au décor de palmiers, après 1925

History and Context

This double door, based on a design by Albert Rateau, is very similar to the entrance of the Pavilion of Elegance at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925, a landmark event in the history of Art Deco.

The Pavilion of Elegance was built by architect Robert Fournez to house the creations of fashion houses Callot, Jenny, Lanvin, and Worth. The interior decoration was commissioned from Armand-Albert Rateau, and the Baguès company was entrusted with designing the ironwork and lighting.

The entrance door of the pavilion was adorned with "very finely crafted wrought iron grilles designed by Rateau," which gained significant recognition. It was extensively documented in several articles and publications, such as:

The Design

Our double door features an Art Deco design very close to the original piece. Stylized palm tree motifs extend from the bottom to the top of each panel and are also present on the lintel. The fronds are painted in silver-white with golden edges, and the top of each palm tree is adorned with an oval sculpted in bas-relief with purely Art Deco shapes.

The doorposts are decorated with geometric shapes alternating between solids and voids. The handle blends seamlessly into the design, taking the form of a palm frond that narrows and curls at its tip.

Other Creations

Rateau and Baguès designed another door for the Pavilion of Elegance, which was sold at Ivoire in Chartres on October 26, 2020. This door featured wrought iron ornaments evoking a pleated drapery, referencing the fashion creations displayed inside the pavilion.

To date, our research has not been able to determine the exact project for which this door was commissioned. However, it is confirmed to be a variation with slight modifications to the original design.