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Lot Essay
Italian by birth, Paul Sormani established his highly successful business at 10, rue Charlot in 1867. He exhibited at all of the major international exhibitions, with petits meubles de fantaisie, as well as fine quality versions in the Louis XV, XVI and Transitional styles. On Sormani's death in 1878 the business was taken over by his widow, Ursule-Marie-Philippine Bouvaist, and son, Paul-Charles, whereupon it became known as Veuve Paul Sormani & Fils.
With its central bas-relief tablet cast with frolicking putti, the design for the lower section of this pair of vitrines is based on the secrétaire à cylindre by Jean-Henri Riesener (maître 1768; d. 1806), supplied in 1784 for the petits appartements of Marie-Antoinette at the Tuileries and now in the collection of the Louvre.
With its central bas-relief tablet cast with frolicking putti, the design for the lower section of this pair of vitrines is based on the secrétaire à cylindre by Jean-Henri Riesener (maître 1768; d. 1806), supplied in 1784 for the petits appartements of Marie-Antoinette at the Tuileries and now in the collection of the Louvre.