Rating and value of Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann furniture, tables and chests of drawers

If you own a piece of furniture by or after Ruhlmann, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services. Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its current market value. Then, if you wish to sell your work, we'll guide you towards the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.  

Rating and value of Ruhlmann furniture

Ruhlmann is a French cabinetmaker and decorator well known to furniture enthusiasts. If you own one, it may be worth more than you think. On the art market, Ruhlmann furniture can fetch very high prices under the auctioneer's hammer.  

His wooden furniture is particularly prized, and the price at which it sells on the art market ranges from €100 to €2,500,000, a fairly substantial range, but one that says a lot about the value that can be attributed to Ruhlmann furniture.  

In 2019, a lacquered wood and fabric chaise longue "Aux skis" dating from 1929 sold for €1,803,780, while it was estimated at €1,352,885 to €1,803,780 by Sotheby's.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious 

Émile Jacques Ruhlmann's style and technique

Printz's work is part of the Art Deco movement. He created tables, desks, chairs and bookcases, as well as armchairs and sofas. He uses wood, but adds details of gilded bronze (like Gabriel Viardot) and glass, especially in his lighting fixtures (like Raymond Subes). His furniture is characterized by ebony marquetry.  

Émile Jacques Ruhlmann's style and technique

Printz's work is part of the Art Deco movement. He created tables, desks, chairs and bookcases, as well as armchairs and sofas. He uses wood, but adds details of gilded bronze (like Gabriel Viardot) and glass, especially in his lighting fixtures (like Raymond Subes). His furniture is characterized by ebony marquetry.  

The life of Jacques Émile Ruhlmann  

Jacques Émile Ruhlmann (1879 - 1933) was a French cabinetmaker from an Alsatian family. His family moved to Paris in 1870, where they owned a company producing wallpaper, paint and mirrors. He trained as a self-taught cabinetmaker.

The year he turned twenty, he did his military service, where he met Pierre Patout. Returning to Paris, he took over the management of the Ruhlmann company after his father's death. He designed his first pieces of furniture without attending a furniture or art school, and presented his first creations at the Salon d'Automne in 1910. At the same time, he set up an agency specializing in interior design, and had the furniture he designed manufactured in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. His furniture is all stamped Ruhlmann, and he chooses his collaborators from among the best of the Boulle school.

An entire pavilion was dedicated to him at the 1925 Decorative Arts exhibition, and he counted many prestigious personalities among his customers. He was commissioned to create furniture for the Palais de l'Élysée and the liner Île de France.

Ruhlmann died in Paris in 1933, and his funeral monument was designed according to his wishes by Pierre Patoute and Alfred Janniot.

The success of Ruhlmann furniture

Ruhlmann furniture enjoyed great success during the artist's lifetime, and continues to do so today. They stand out for their exceptional craftsmanship.

Today, his furniture is no longer sold. Consequently, one of the only ways to acquire a piece of Ruhlmann furniture is via the auction market, where works by the artist are regularly offered for sale. 

Recognizing the signature on a work by Ruhlmann

All works produced by Jacques Émile Ruhlmann are signed. Copies may also exist, which is why it is important to have your pieces appraised.  

Knowing the value of a work 

If you happen to own a piece of furniture by or after Jacques Émile Ruhlmann, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using the form on our website. A member of our team of experts and certified auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, as well as any relevant information about it. If you're thinking of selling your work, our specialists will also be on hand to offer you alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account market trends.