BY HENRY DASSON, PARIS, CIRCA 1880

The celebrated Parisian ébéniste and bronzier Henry Dasson (d.1896), with workshops at 106, rue Vieille du Temple, specialised in the production of ancienne régime style furniture and objects. In 1871, Dasson bought the workshop and stock from the widow of Charles-Guillaume Winckelsen, who had earlier established a reputation for furniture of the finest quality. Dasson continued with this acclaim, and his display at the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle prompted the critic Louis Gonse to comment: "nouveau venu dans la carrière industrielle Henry Dasson s'est rapidement crée par la perfection de ses oeuvres une très haute situation à laquelle nous applaudissons chaleureusement". Dasson's stand included a gilt-bronze centre table, acquired by Lord Dudley and said by Gonse to be "un chef d'oeuvre de ciselure", and a copy of the celebrated bureau de Louis XV, bought by Lady Ashburton and thought to equal the original for "la délicatesse et le fini du travail". Dasson's business continued until 1894, when a sale of his remaining stock was held.