Pair of French Louis XV Style Gilt-Metal Jasperware Mounted Demi-Lune Vitrines

Impressive pair of French 19th century Louis XV style gilt bronze-mounted Kingwood and mahogany marquetry Encoigneurs, corner cabinets or vitrines, attributed to Paul Sormani. The upper section with molded cornice and shell cresting and enclosed by a bowed glazed panel door, the lower section surmounted by a marble top of arc-en-arbalète outline above two frieze drawers and cupboards below enclosed by tambour shutters, raised on short cabriole legs ending in foliate sabots, lock plates engraved 'Sormani PARIS.' Circa: Paris, 1875. Height: 90 1/2 inches (230 cm). Width: 44 inches (112 cm). Depth: 29 inches (74 cm). Sormani, Paul (1817-1877): Born in Venice, Paul Sormani set up in Paris in the middle of the 19th century. He specialized in creating furniture and works of art and was known for his high quality reproductions of Louis XV and XVI furniture...

A very fine and large French 19th-20th century Louis XV style mahogany and ormolu-mounted Vitrine cabinet with its original Veined Mint green marble top, attributed to Georges-François Alix...

Rare pair of Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted curved shape vitrines attributed to J.E Zwiener. Glazed on all sides, they open with two doors framed by gilded and chiseled Rocaille style foliated bronze mounts. Resting on four cabriole legs ending with lion’s paws, the whole is covered by a « brèche de Benou » marble top. This model was probably designed by L. Messagé. Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener was born in Germany in 1849. In 1880 he sets up his extensive workshops in rue de la Roquette in Paris where he creates many original pieces of furniture. He imitated practically every style, ranging from ‘’Boulle’’ to Louis XVI and including extraordinary personal interpretations of the Louis XV ‘’exuberant’’ style. He participated in the 1889 Universal Exhibition, held in Paris, and was awarded the gold medal for his remarkable copy of that most famous piece of furniture, Louis XV’s desk. The catalogue of the exhibition included a wonderful elegy qualifying the work as perfect : « No criticism what-so-ever could be made ». As that other famous cabinet-maker François Linke, Zwiener had most of his bronzes modelled by Léon Messagé whose work was considered as being of the best possible quality. Léon Messagé is a renowned designer and sculptor who integrated in his ornaments related to the Rocaille asymmetry, new lines and shapes announcing the “Art Nouveau” style. But even though, Messagé found inspiration with these 18th century artists, such as Nicolas Pineau or J. A. Meissonier, he didn’t simply copy their work and showed great originality, even extravagance, with some designs contained in "Cahier des dessins et croquis style Louis XV". He realized numerous sketches on grey paper before the execution of a reduced or life sized model of his ornaments, made of wax or terra-cotta. From 1885, Léon Messagé started working with important Parisian cabinet...

Pair of wood, bronze and glass showcases vitrines. France, late 19th century.