James Mont’s life as an unmistakably talented furniture designer and interior decorator could fill the pages of a best-selling novel or be reimagined as a Hollywood feature film. From the 1930s through the 1960s, Tinseltown’s glitterati and Manhattan’s Mafia underworld coveted his sofas, coffee tables and table lamps.
Mont was born Demetrios Pecintoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1904 to a family of artists. He reportedly studied architecture and art in Spain and France, and during the 1920s, Mont immigrated with his family to the United States.
Mont and his family settled in New York, where he found work in a Brooklyn electrical supply shop. There he sold hardware and designed his own lighting fixtures. The latter caught the eye of a gangster named Frankie Yale, who commissioned him to refurnish his house. Mont’s opulent designs drew on Art Deco, Hollywood Regency and were occasionally marked by chinoiserie, then a very popular trend in decorating. He created the kind of low-profile side tables and sofas that are frequently associated with mid-century modernism, and he is credited today with helping popularize the integration of Asian influences in modern American design.
Mont soon attracted New York City’s most infamous crime bosses, including Charles “Lucky” Luciano and Frank Costello. For a range of mobsters, he created fashionable, functional and sophisticated pieces such as collapsible home bars that would fold down and out of view — a particularly convenient feature during Prohibition — and tables and desks with secret drawers, which were also handy to Mont’s shady clientele.
“You bought a bar from him, and he would also deliver booze in a baby carriage,” antiques dealer and furniture retailer Todd Merrill told New York about Mont in 2008.
Mont designed a room for the World’s Fair in 1939 and later befriended Hollywood celebrities such as Bob Hope, who was best man at his wedding, Irving Berlin and Lana Turner. During the 1940s and ‘50s, Mont continued designing furniture, mastering finishing techniques such as lacquering and incorporating a distinctive “leafing” print effect with silver and gold into his pieces.
Mont’s designs enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s, and his pieces continue to be sought after by collectors.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage James Mont sideboards, tables and storage cabinets.
James Mont Cinnabar Lacquered Wall Bracket
By James Mont
Located in Hanover, MA
James Mont Design cinnabar lacquered wall bracket, removed from a private residence designed by James Mont at 370 East 76th Street, New York, NY circa...
Giltwood
James Mont Designs Asian Giltwood Panel
By James Mont
Located in Hanover, MA
James Mont Asian mid-century modern carved giltwood fretwork wall panel with central circular stylized Orientalist carving with bamboo leaves and lotus trees, hand rubbed gold and silver leaf. 43" H x 45" W. Provenance: Removed from a private residence decorated by James Mont at 370 East 76th Street, New York, NY. James Mont frequently used such panels in his furniture and interior designs such as these lacquered console cabinets...
Giltwood
$495 / set
H 6.5 in W 7 in D 3.25 in
One Pair of Giltwood Brackets with Water Gilding. Great small small scale.
Located in Buchanan, MI
One pair of giltwood brackets with water gilding. Beautifully finished. We also have several other sets of various scale. Feel free to cal...
Gold Leaf
Sculptural Wall Panel by Curtis Jere
By Curtis Jeré
Located in New York, NY
Rectangular shaped wall sculpture divided into vertical sections with undulating strips in brass and chromed steel. A bold statement. Signed.
Serge Roche Style Carved Wall Brackets
Located in Locust Valley, NY
Carved wall brackets in the style of Serge Roche with scroll form and brushed gilt finish.
Wood
$2,266
H 11.3 in W 8 in D 6.1 in
Rare Antique Gothic Revival Medieval / Chimera Sculpture Wall Bracket or Shelf
Located in Lisse, NL
Stunning and deeply carved nutwood, Gothic Art wall bracket, Corbel. If you are a collector of rare and striking Gothic antiques then this bracket could be the perfect addition to your collection. This all handcrafted and marvelously hand carved, 19th century wall bracket is a work or art in its own right. It depicts a medieval figure...
Metal
Pair of Fern Wall Brackets
Located in New York, NY
American, circa 1850-1880. Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), with wire armature and composition ornament, gessoed and gilded. Measures: 14 1/8 in. high, 16 5/16 in. wide (at the sh...
Wood
Adam Wall Bracket
By Jonathan Sainsbury
Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
This late 18th Century design carved and gilded wood wall bracket has a shaped and double moulded shelf and a tapered fan fluted body. The base is decorated with a lotus leaf collar ...
Giltwood
$2,266
H 13.5 in W 14.2 in D 12.5 in
Rare Antique Carved Gothic Revival Wall Bracket or Corbel with Angel Sculptures
Located in Lisse, NL
f you are a collector of rare and highly decorative antique wood carvings, then this impressive Renaissance Revival wall bracket could be the perfect addition to your interior or col...
Iron
$3,840Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 11.5 in W 14 in D 8.5 in
Pair Gilded Brackets Decorative Wall Mount Decoration Shelves Antique LA CA
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Pair Gilded Brackets Decorative Wall Mount Decoration Shelves Antique LA CA . Finely carved Demilune and water gilt Pair of wall brackets Scrolled foli...
Other
Antique Italian Carved Giltwood Acanthus Wall Hanging Panel
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A large-scale mid-18th century Italian giltwood wall hanging panel, deeply handcarved in relief with acanthus decoration. One of similar lots we are selling, this decorative carved p...
Walnut, Giltwood
Vintage Leaded Beveled Glass Window Panel
Located in Seattle, WA
Offered is a vintage leaded glass window panel featuring clear beveled glass set within metal caming. Each panel is divided into rectangular panes with precise soldered joints, showc...
Metal
Italian Gilt Carved Panel
Located in New York, NY
Italian gilt carved panel. Neoclassical carved gilt wood open work panel with alternating square and round paterae with acanthus and further egg and dart borders in original mecca gi...
Giltwood
Vintage Italian Gilt Wall Brackets - A Pair
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Infuse your walls with the sophisticated charm of this exquisite pair of vintage Italian gilt wall brackets. Masterfully crafted in the esteemed Florentine tradition, these ornate co...
Gesso