Research

Of various inlaid woods, with original chromium banding around edges.

This pair of marquetry panels evoke the art deco style of the 1930s, and were probably intended for use as decoration in a study. Similar usage of marquetry of this period is best represented in places such as Eltham Palace in South East London, which was renovated in the 1930s as an Art Deco tour-de-force by the Courtauld family. There exquisite marquetry arrangements designed by the Swedish designer Rolf Engströmer add glamour to the entrance hall and other areas throughout the house.

One panel appears to represent industry, the other literature. Whilst in the art deco taste their appearance also distinctly Modernist.  Inspiration is derived from late cubism, and the works of artists such as Ferdinand Leger (1881-1955) and the industrial imagery of Italian Futurismo.  There is also something of the imagery seen in famous murals of Diego Rivera at the Detroit Institute of Art funded by the Ford Motor Company painted between 1932 and 33. Their original chromium edging further enhances the intended futuristic appearance of the panels.