ART STORIES

MANTEL CLOCK 'À L'ÉLÉPHANT'
Louis XV style, Paris circa 1860
Signed P. Sormani on the base
Estimate: CHF 12 000 / 15 000
Auction on 21 March 2024
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The March Decorative Arts auction boasts a remarkable collection of furniture by the Parisian firm Sormani. No fewer than 21 lots in the sale are by the luxury manufacturer of fine furniture, clocks, and decorations, active from the mid-19th century until the 1930s. These pieces were lovingly collected over many years by a Parisian cabinetmaker with an expert eye, who lived surrounded by these creations for many years, first in Paris and then in Western Switzerland.

…and ‘antiquing’ is born

Before the reign of Louis-Philippe (ruled 1830–1848), knowledge of furniture history was sketchy at best. Throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, fashion reigned, and as furniture went out of style it was either put away or given away to make room for the latest trend. It was unthinkable to furnish a stylish home with pieces from an earlier period – just as it would have been unthinkable to dress in the style of a previous fashion.

When Louis-Philippe took the throne, he made plans to restore and refurnish the châteaux of France that had been emptied during the revolution. This wasn’t wholly due to patriotism or a love of history – he also had a personal agenda.

A NAPOLÉON III TRANSITION STYLE BOOKCASE
Paris circa 1865. Stamped P. Sormani – 10 rue Charlot Paris.
Estimate: CHF 5 000 / 8 000
Auction on 21 March 2024
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TWO SIMILAR TRANSITION STYLE GUERIDONS
Paris circa 1860
One stamped Sormani Paris 134 Boul. Haussmann, the other stamped on the lock P. Sormani, 10 rue Charlot Paris
Estimate: CHF 3 000 / 5 000
Auction on 21 March 2024
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A TRANSITION STYLE GUERIDON WITH A SIMILAR WRITING TABLE
Paris circa 1865
The gueridon stamped P. Sormani – 10 rue Charlot Paris
Estimate: CHF 10 000 / 16 000
Auction on 21 March 2024
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As a member of the house of Orléans, the ‘branche cadette’ of the Bourbons, and the son of ‘Philippe Égalité’ who had infamously voted for the execution of his cousin, Louis XVI, Louis-Philippe understandably felt the need to establish his legitimacy. By restoring the residences of the last common ancestors he shared with the Bourbon kings (Henri IV and Louis XIII), he hoped to remind his detractors of the royal blood which still ran through his veins. One of these projects was the birthplace of Henri IV, the Château de Pau. As this and other residences dated primarily from the Renaissance, identifying what furniture from the Renaissance and later periods looked like was required in order to refurnish them correctly – and this search for knowledge and classification contributed to the birth of furniture history.

Reproduction as art

Interest in furniture from the previous centuries continued to grow during the regime of Napoleon III (ruled 1848–1870), and cabinetmakers were able to study and imitate the creations of the greatest furniture makers of the ancien regime, such as Oeben, Riesener, Weisweiler, Carlin and Boulle. Throughout much of the 20th century, these ‘reproductions’ of pieces from the royal and national collections were considered to be inferior versions of the originals. It wasn’t until the early years of the 21st century that they began to be recognised for what they are: exquisitely crafted masterpieces of cabinetmaking, the overall quality of which often surpasses their 18th-century models. One reason for this is that 19th-century French craftsmen were not limited by the restrictions of the guilds, which forbade cabinetmakers from casting and gilding the bronzes that adorned their pieces, for example. Once furniture manufacturers were given complete control over the production and quality of the pieces they created, the best among them – including Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley, François Linke, Henri Dasson and Paul Sormani – were able to create masterpieces of furniture that approached perfection in both their execution and style.

A RÉGENCE STYLE BUREAU PLAT 'AUX MASCARONS'
Paris circa 1855
Stamped on the lock: P. Sormani – 10 Rue Charlot Paris
Estimate: CHF 8 000 / 12 000
Auction on 21 March 2024
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A TRANSITION STYLE COMMODE 'À TÊTE DE BÉLIER'
Paris circa 1860
A corner bronze stamped P. Sormani Paris
Estimate: CHF 4 000 / 7 000
Auction on 21 March 2024
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A TRANSITION STYLE COMMODE 'À LA GRECQUE'
Paris circa 1870
Inscribed on a plaque: Paul Sormani – 10 rue Charlot Paris
Estimate: CHF 10 000 / 15 000
Auction on 21 March 2024
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Paul Sormani (1817–1866 or 1877) began his career in Lombardy, northern Italy, as a 'tabletier', an artisan specialised in the creation of inlaid and leather-lined boxes, writing tables and other small luxury items. He moved to Paris, and in 1847 established the firm which would bear his name for the next 90 years. He counted the Empress Eugénie among his clients, and won numerous medals at the international exhibitions in Paris and London. The firm continued to enjoy a stellar reputation after his death, when it was taken over by his widow and son, Paul-Charles, and continued to operate until 1935.

Sormani’s works are marked by a highly elegant sense of proportion and style, as well as extreme care in the execution of details, both inside and out. Perhaps Sormani’s origins as a tabletier, creating high-quality luxury goods for a select clientele, caused him and his successors to pay particular attention to all aspects of the items created, from the polished construction of the carcase and drawers, to the expert engraving and gilding of the bronze mounts. The pieces by Sormani in this auction are excellent examples of the dedication to perfection that characterised the firm’s production throughout its existence.

You can browse all catalogues from our upcoming auctions here:

A PAIR OF LOUIS SYTLE COMMODES 'A FLEURS'
Paris circa 1860
Each stamped Sormani Paris, one also with an inscribed plaque: Paul Sormani – 10 rue Charlot Paris
Estimate: CHF 10 000 / 15 000
Auction on 21 March 2024
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