Mirror, Mirror on the wall… who has the most RAVISHING reflection of all? YOU WILL! Of course!! When you gaze in awe upon yourself within this vintage masterpiece by Renzo Rutili for Johnson Furniture!!! At almost five feet tall, it is large scale and rectangular in shape and it is comprised of a lovely white leather frame with grooves embossed with gold lines which creates squares surrounding the mirror in the center. The outer trim on the frame is brass plate and the inner trim around the mirror is gilded wood and it has fabulous, raised brass plated star details in each corner. The lower right corner has a bit of yellowing on the leather that we chose to leave alone as we feel like it’s a beautiful part of its natural aged patina. It is versatile enough to hang either way, long or tall, and it would be wonderful over a bathroom vanity area, on a large wall in the dining or living room over a buffet or credenza, or in a bedroom dressing room area. It is Hollywood Regency and Art Deco in style, but this mirror will blend in beautifully with any style décor. “Life is like a mirror; we get the best results when we smile at it!!”-unknown. And we certainly think this mirror is a perfect reason for you to smile…BIG!!!
Lorenzo (Renzo) Rutili was born in 1901 in Donora, Pennsylvania. He was a designer for Johnson Furniture for over 30 years and then Tomlinson of High Point, North Carolina for three years following his time with Johnson. He studied at Carnegie Institute, and he also studied design in Europe for several years. He was a salesman, a designer, a lecturer, and past president of Grand Rapids Furniture Designers Association in 1940. Mr. Rutili passed away May 26, 1966.
Johnson Furniture was founded in 1903 by three brothers who emigrated from Sweden in 1887: Carl, Hjalmar, and Axel. Carl had received a medal from the King of Sweden for his cabinetmaking. They hired Tom Handley as the in-house designer in 1908 and also became an officer for them in 1922 and was with the company until his death in 1926. He established Johnson – Handley – Johnson as a companion company and both entities as major producers of high quality, period revival, residential furniture. Johnson produced wood residential furniture for the bedroom, while the Johnson- Handley- Johnson label was used for dining suites, occasional tables, and case pieces. Designer David Robinson led Johnson into the production of Art Deco and Modern lines in 1928. The company claimed that they were the first to produce a complete line of Modern furniture in the United States. Lorenzo (Renzo) Rutili served as head of design from 1933 into the 60’s. He personally designed groups in Modern and Neoclassical repertoires and oversaw contracted design lines by famous designers including D. Robertson Smith, Paul Frankl, Eliel Saarinen, and J. Robert F. and Pipsam Swanson. In 1963 the last family member Earl Johnson retired, and the company merged with Timber-Line Inc, while still retaining the Johnson name. In 1968 until 1975 the company was owned by Holiday Inns, Inc. and in 1983 it sold to Rose Manufacturing.
This is a fantastic mirror by Renzo Rutili for Johnson Furniture… Don’t you need it? Well, take a moment to reflect… but don’t wait too long to make it YOURS!!!
