Commissioned to design a residence for ceramics contractor Louis Coilliot in Lille, French architect Hector Guimard envisioned the Maison Coilliot as a total work of art. He employed the same sinuous lines and unorthodox materials for the interior and furnishings that he used for the facade of the building, creating a fully unified and singular aesthetic. This hallstand—remarkably fabricated as well as designed by the architect—features taut, undulating contours. The delineation of the silhouette suggests the force of organic growth. The enameled lava that embellishes the lower part of the hallstand was also extravagantly applied to the building’s facade. This new technique, pioneered by Guimard and marketed by Coilliot, is as durable as it is beautiful, able to withstand hard use and repeated washing. Fusing form and functionality, this hallstand represents both the modernity and the reverence for natural beauty that defined the spirit of Art Nouveau design.
From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)
Artist Hector Guimard, French, 1867-1942
Title
  • Hallstand
Date 1898
Medium mahogany, enamelled lava, bronze, iron, mirror glass, painted tin liner
Dimensions Overall: 83 3/4 × 54 × 14 inches (212.7 × 137.2 × 35.6 cm)
Credit Line Gift of Gilbert and Lila Silverman
Accession Number 2005.48
Department European Sculpture and Dec Arts
On View Modern N2BB, Level 2 (see map)
Maison Coilliot (Lille, France).
Elstir, Paris.
Collection Gilbert B. and Lila Silverman, 1996/7.
Darr, A. P. & B. Gallagher. "Recent acquisitions (2000-2006) of European sculpture and decorative arts at The Detroit Institute of Arts." The Burlington Magazine 149 (June 2007): 455, pl. XXI (ill.).

Bulletin of the DIA: Notable Acquisitions, 2000–2015, vol. 89, no. 1/4 (2015), p. 34–35 (ill.).