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A Fine Pair of Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Mahogany Cabinets by Paul Sormani.  

Paris, Circa 1870.

Signed to the lockplates 'P. SORMANI', 10 rue Charlot à Paris'.

This important pair of cabinets are veneered in a rich flame mahogany with fine gilt-bronze mounts.  The cabinets have a part galleried top above a concave frieze and a panel mounted with winding rock roses.  Below are four cabinet doors framed by fluted pilaster uprights; the upper doors mounted with gilt-bronze ribbon tied garlands.  The cabinets are supported on four toupie feet.  

Born in Venice in 1817, Paul Sormani (1817-1877), was a Parisian maker of fine 'meubles de luxe'. His work was described in the catalogue of the 1867 Exposition Universelle as: 'toute sa production révèle une qualité d'exécution de tout premier ordre' (all of his production reveals a quality of execution all of the first order').

Sormani exhibited at the International Exhibitions in Paris in 1849, 1855, 1867, 1878 and 1900, and in London in 1862, winning numerous medals.

Paul Sormani established the firm in 1847 at 7 Cimetière Saint-Nicolas in Paris, moving in 1854 to 114 rue du Temple, and in 1867 to 10 rue Charlot.

After his death in 1877 Sormani's son Paul-Charles took over the business that later moved to 134 Boulevard Haussmann.

It can be difficult to date Sormani's work, as the firm produced furniture for nearly ninety years. However, when Paul Sormani died in 1877, his wife and son took over the business and from this date onwards pieces are normally signed 'Veuve Sormani & Fils'.

Bibliography:
Mestdagh, Camille & Lécoules, Pierre. L'Ameublement d'art français : 1850-1900, Les Editions de l'Amateur, (Paris), 2010.

Meyer, Jonathan.  Great Exhibitions - London, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, 1851-1900, Antique Collectors' Club, (Woodbridge, UK), 2006.

Ledoux - Lebard, Denise. Les Ébénistes du XIXe siècle, Les Editions de L'Amateur, (Paris), 1984; pp. 583-588.

Dimensions

Height : 167 cm 66 inches Width : 108 cm 43 inches Depth : 38 cm 15 inches

Price on application





Stock number

B74233
Open Monday-Friday 10-6

The BADA Standard

  • Since 1918, BADA has been the leading association for the antiques and fine art trade
  • Members are elected for their knowledge, integrity and quality of stock
  • Our clients are protected by BADA’s code of conduct
  • Our dealers’ membership is reviewed and renewed annually
  • Bada.org is a non-profit site: clients deal directly with members and they pay no hidden fees
Click here for more information on the BADA Standard