BY PAUL SORMANI, PARIS, LAST QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

This table en chiffonière is a fine example of Sormani's talent as imitator of the 18th century style. Porcelain-mounted furniture was popularised in the 1770s by fashion-setting marchands-merciers, such as Simon-Philippe Poirier (d. 1777) and Dominique Daguerre (d. 1796), and the finest Sèvres panels were incorporated in the work of a number of ébénistes, among the most celebrated being Roger Vandercruse, Adam Weisweiler and, in particular, Martin Carlin. In the 19th century, porcelain-mounted furniture in the 18th century manner was sought after by connoisseurs such as John Jones (d. 1882), who bequeathed his collection of French decorative arts to the South Kensington Museum. Please see lot 124 for a note on Paul Sormani.