PARIS.- A major auction devoted to 20th-century decorative arts at Gros & Delettrez achieved a total of €3.1 million, led by a rare Eugène Printz commode that set a French record for the celebrated Art Deco cabinetmaker.

Held on June 9, 2026, at Gros & Delettrez in Paris, the sale drew strong bidding in the room, on the telephone and online, bringing together international collectors around an exceptional group of Art Deco furniture, rediscovered provenances and works of French art ceramics.

The highlight of the auction was a large modernist commode by Eugène Printz, made around 1930 for a villa in Casablanca. The unique palmwood-veneered piece sold for €850,000 hammer, or €1,105,000 including fees, establishing a French record for the artist and the second-highest result worldwide for his work.

With its subtly curved silhouette, four drawers arranged across two registers, and arched metal base, the commode is a striking example of Printz’s refined craftsmanship. The palmwood veneer gives the surface a luminous depth, while the metal base creates a sense of lightness, as though the body of the cabinet were suspended.

The commode came from a complete interior commissioned from Printz in the 1930s for the villa of a private client in Casablanca. The same ensemble also included a table-console related to a model held at the Palais de la Porte Dorée and a lacquer panel by Jean Dunand. Previously unknown on the market, the commode is now considered a major rediscovery of French Art Deco furniture from the interwar period.

The Casablanca ensemble also included two pairs of palmwood chairs, which confirmed the strength of interest in the group. One pair sold for €45,500, while the second achieved €50,700, bringing the total for the chairs to €96,200, well above their high estimates.





Jean Royère also performed strongly. Three lots by the designer totaled €409,500, led by a rare high-back version of his “Œuf” seating ensemble, comprising a pair of armchairs and a stool. Commissioned directly from Royère and kept in the same family collection by descent, the ensemble retained its original Paule Marrot fabric and sold for €312,000. A pair of Royère “Orange” armchairs, created in 1939, brought €67,600.

Another notable chapter of the sale came from the collection of Jules Deroubaix, an ébéniste trained in the workshops of Ruhlmann and a close friend of François Pompon, Alfred Porteneuve and Alfred Janniot. Works from his collection consistently exceeded expectations. François Pompon’s plaster version of Ours blanc marchant sold for €55,900, while an important alabaster and gilt-bronze wall light by Alfred Porteneuve achieved €44,200.

The sale also underscored the growing strength of the French art ceramics market from the 1950s to the 1970s. Guidette Carbonell set a world record when her 1952 ceramic light sculpture Oiseau filet rayé sold for €110,500 against an estimate of €25,000 to €35,000. Roger Capron also achieved a remarkable result with his polychrome glazed stoneware coffee table Sou-Chong, which sold for €53,300, more than six times its high estimate.

A bronze sculpture by François-Xavier Lalanne, Oiseau bleu, created in 1979, also performed well, selling for €58,500.

An ensemble of original drawings and plans by Paul Follot was preempted by the Bibliothèque Forney in Paris, highlighting the patrimonial importance of the archival material offered in the auction.

“These results illustrate our long-standing expertise in the field of 20th-century decorative arts,” said Charles-Édouard Delettrez, president of Gros & Delettrez. “I am delighted by the historic result achieved by the Printz commode — a French record and an international-level sale that confirms Gros & Delettrez’s position in this market. The entire auction — the Deroubaix collection, the Royère works, the Casablanca chairs — confirms the vitality of the market and the direction we are giving to our Decorative Arts and Design department.”

The results confirm the continuing demand for major names in 20th-century French design, with collectors responding strongly to rarity, quality of execution and strong provenance. Eugène Printz, Jean Royère, François Pompon, Serge Roche, Gilbert Poillerat and their contemporaries remain highly sought after by an increasingly international collecting audience.