Bed headboard

This headboard was made in London but shows the influence of fashionable Parisian furniture. At the time it was made Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann was a leading designer. Like Ruhlmann's furniture, it uses very rare materials, including shagreen (sharkskin) and ebony veneer. The details are in ivory and even the carcase of the headboard is made of expensive mahogany. The design reflects Art Deco furniture from Paris. The design is probably by J.F. Johnson, who was designing furniture for Heal & Sons at the time. The London firm is more usually associated with the Arts and Crafts style, and this headboard shows that it was keeping abreast of fashion in the 1920s. The set of bedroom furniture, of whi

Bed headboard · London · 1926-1927. Mahogany, veneered with macassar ebony, with details in ivory and ebonized wood. By Johnson, J.F.. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.