PAUL SORMANI (Italy, 1817 - France, 1877). Extraordinary... Lot 50

PAUL SORMANI (Italy, 1817 - France, 1877). Extraordinary and unique vanity case, jewellery box and travel desk. Jacaranda wood and silver. Interior and exterior decoration in gilt and chiselled silver. Exterior marquetry of silver, gilt silver and wood. This piece was presented at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855. It contains everything necessary for a travelling toilette, including a mirror, jug and basin, jewellery drawers and a box for pens and inkwells. With secret compartments. With engraved initials. Signed on the inner plate and inscribed "Rue du Temple". It shows signs of use, some damage and faults. In need of restoration. With contrasts in all the silver pieces. Measurements: 24 x 46 x 33 cm (closed); 50 x 86 x 48 cm (open). "Toute sa production revele une qualite d'execution de tout premier ordre". With this revealing and categorical phrase, the critics of the Universal Exhibition of 1867 referred to the work of Paul Sormani, an outstanding cabinetmaker who became very popular among Parisian high society and the imperial family itself in the second half of the 19th century. His exquisite and painstaking language led him to create luxury pieces such as the one we are now bidding for, an exceptional multifunctional box (as it acts as a vanity case, jewellery box and travel desk) of which only a single copy exists. The exterior decoration features a masterful geometric marquetry of silver, gilded silver and wood. The sides continue the marquetry work, simulating handles. Inside, the box contains everything needed for a travel toilette (including mirror, jug and basin), jewellery drawers and a box for pens and inkwells. All of the pieces are decorated with engraved silver, depicting highly aesthetic plant motifs. As was customary for such 'fantasy boxes', the interior also contains secret compartments. Paul Sormani was a prominent cabinetmaker of Lombard-Venetian origin who settled in Paris in 1847. He initially specialised in the manufacture of travel cases and small-format furniture. His first shop was located at 7 Cimitère Saint Nicolas, in 1854 he moved to 114 Rue du Temple and finally, in 1867, to 10 Rue Charlot. His prestige was consolidated in 1849, when he won a bronze medal at the Exposition of the Second Republic in Paris, and in fact the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, decorated her palaces with many of his furnishings. Sormani took part in the great international exhibitions of 1855, 1862 and 1867 with his "petits meubles fantaisie" ("little fanciful furniture") and several reproductions of excellent quality of the pieces preserved in the National Furniture Store. He won a silver medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855, and repeated his success at the 1862 Universal Exhibition in London, this time with a bronze medal. At the Paris Exhibition of 1867 he won a silver medal, and his work was described in these terms: "his entire production reveals a quality of execution of the highest order". Sormani rose to fame thanks to the patronage of Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon III, and after Paul Sormani's death, his sons and mother continued the firm, which was renamed "Sormani Veuve Paul et Fils" in 1878. In the same year, the house won a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, followed by a diploma of honour at the Colonial Exhibition in Amsterdam in 1883 and the Grand Prix at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889. In 1914, Paul-Charles Sormani joined forces with the Thiebault brothers to create a new firm, the Maison Thiebault-Sormani, which took part in the famous 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Decorative Arts, the official starting point of Art Deco. This house focused on the production of high-quality pieces in the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles, and remained in business until 1934, when it closed. Sormani furniture can still be found in various French palaces, as well as in the National Palace of Ajuda in Lisbon.