Estimate

10.000 - 15.000

Session 1

13 October 2020

Hammer Price

Description

Rosewood and violet-wood veneered timber of marquetry decoration
Rocaille style gilt, moulded and chiselled bronze mounts
Two overlapping scalloped tops, joined by four vertical gilt bronze mounts of naturalistic design
Upper top with removable gilt bronze and glass tray
Bronze decorative elements applied to scalloped apron, cabriole legs and feet
Tray marked P SORMANI PARIS"
Label to back of lower top - H.A.Comer, Antique & Modern Furniture, Works of Art, France, 1867-1901

95x101x59 cm

Category

Furniture

NINETEENTH CENTURY FURNITURE

The second half of the 19th century is, undoubtedly, the age when decorative arts favoured the revivalist taste, the fusion of styles and the collecting. At an age when society looked attentively at the past, the greatest masters of previous centuries were inevitably reinterpreted by the new artists, hence promoting the emergence of quality replicas that were accepted by their contemporaries as genuine works of art. The glory of the golden age of Versailles was reborn in the decorative arts, particularly in furniture, inspired by the artistic character of the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI and by the much admired prototypes of the great furniture makers such as André-Charles Boulle (1642-1732), Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763) or Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806).
In 1860s Paris there a noticeable increase in the number of luxury furniture making workshops which, in that period employed 2000 workers, a figure
in stark contrast with the 14,500 employed by the lower quality furniture making workshops. Luxury furniture makers were amongst the most privileged Paris craftsmen, being responsible for the production of exceptional pieces of furniture often destined to the French Imperial House or to other European Royal Courts.
The two tea tables that we are bringing to sale are particularly representative of the artistic quality and irreprehensible production technique of two exceptional artists of that era, Paul Sormani (1817-1877) and François Linke (1855-1946).

Literature:
PAYNE, Christopher, 19thCentury European Furniture, Antique Collectors ́Club 1985;
RODRIGUES, Tiago, The furniture of Maison Krieger at art auction: A fine vitrine in Louis XV style sold by Veritas at Lisbon, ArtisOn, no5, Lisboa, ARTIS-IHA/FLUL, 2017;
VERLET, Pierre, Le mobilier royal français du XVIIIe siècle. IV – Meubles de la Couronne conservés en Europe et aux États-Unis, Paris, Editions Picard, 1990;
VERLET, Pierre, Les ébénistes du XVIII siècle français, Paris, Hachette, 1963;
VERLET, Pierre, Les meubles français du XVIII siècle, 2o edição, Paris, Presses Universitaire de France, 1982

Paul Sormani (1817-1877)

Paul Sormani was one of the most famous furniture makers of 19th century France. Specialised in replicating Louis XV and Louis XVI style furniture, he had as his professional competitors the great brand names of his era, such as Henry Dason (1825- 1896), G. Durand (1839-1920) and François Linke (1855-1946).
Of Italian background, Sormani was born in Canzo, in the Venice region (Como Province, Lombardy), in 1817. Aged 30 he married Ursule Marie-Philippine Bouvaist, settling in Paris soon after. Specializing in the making of necessaires, travelling cases and étuis, he opens his first workshop at 7 Rue Saint Nicolas.
Two years later, in 1849, Sormani participates in the Paris Industrial Exhibition being awarded a Bronze medal. One patent registered in England in 1852, for the invention of an “improved travelling case”, demonstrates his creativity and originality, as well as the fact that, by then, he had opened shop in London. Other important Exhibition participations and awards will follow; in 1855 – at the Paris International Exhibition - he is awarded a First-Class Silver medal, and in 1862 - at the London Universal Exhibition- he is granted a 2nd Place medal.
It is only from 1867 onwards, his workshop already sited at 10 Rue Charlot, that he develops a furniture production specialising in petits meubles de luxe et de fantaisie, as shown in that same year at the 2nd Paris Universal Exhibition, where he grabs a silver medal. Referred in the exhibition catalogue as “(...) his production embodies a first-class quality of execution”, this participation will unequivocally be a major contributing factor to his ensuing fame and commercial success.
At one point employing the astonishing number of 150 workers, it is expectable that amongst those working in his workshop, there were many furniture makers, carpenters, bronze casters and perhaps painters (?), as these were the specialist arts represented in Sormani’s creations. Through his sophisticated and careful furniture production and particular ebeniste craftsmanship, Sormani’s became a household name amongst the Parisian elite and numerous European courts. Following his death in 1877, his wife and son Paul-Charles Sormani maintained the Rue Charlot premises open. In 1914, following a partnership agreement with Thiebault Frères, they move to 134 Boulevard Haussmann, where the business will remain until eventually closing down in 1934, after almost 90 years of intense and prolific production.
Sormani furniture can be seen in various private, particularly French, as well as museum collections, the one at the National Palace of Ajuda in Lisbon standing out in particular. In this important cluster all of Sormani’s works are signed
and dated to the post 1867 production cycle. Acquired by Queen Maria Pia (1847-1911) in her various European travels, the collection includes a tea table (Inv.50859), similar to the one presented for sale, bought by the Queen in Paris in 1901. In the Palace photographic archives there exists a set of photos, sent by “Maison Sormani” to the potential royal client, in which the table is identified as “model nr. 333”.

Literature:
ANDRADE, Maria do Carmo de, Paul Sormani e o estilo Luís XV. Os móveis preferidos da rainha D. Maria Pia, Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, 2010
PAYNE, Christopher, 19thCentury European Furniture, Antique Collectors ́Club 1985