Louis XVI Dressing Table by Paul Sormani

Eloquent marquetry and faithful interpretation of the Louis XVI taste characterize this beautiful 19th-century dressing table by Paul Sormani. A graceful oval-shaped vanity mirror tops this impeccable design, ornamented with an ormolu framework of winged seraphim bearing striking candelabras. Delicate tendrils of ormolu-cast flora and cherubic characters adorn the clawfoot legs and drawers. Each of the table’s three console drawers are armed with locks, ensuring precious contents are kept safe and sound.

Venetian cabinetmaker Paul Sormani established his Parisian boutique specializing in crafting meubles de luxe, or “small fancy furniture,” in 1847 and soon became a fashionable favorite of French royalty. Sormani’s popularity among nobility and gentry soared after being commissioned by Empress Eugenie, wife and consort of Napoléon III, to decorate the royal palace. The Sormani House exhibited furnishings at the 1855 World's Fair in Paris where the firm's designs were awarded a silver medal and again at the 1862 World's Fair in London, placing third with a bronze medal. While exhibiting at the 1867 World Expo in Paris, Sormani's designs won yet another silver medal and were described in these terms by judges: “All production reveals quality of execution of the first order.”

Circa 1870

Signed “Sormani Paris / 134, Rd Haussmann”

45 3/4“ wide x 25 3/4” deep x 64“ high