Édouard LIÈVRE, Paul SORMANI, Neo-Renaissance ceremonial sideboard and buffet

This imposing walnut carved cupboard sideboard is a tour de force of artistic invention and technical mastery. Close to Tuscan Neo-Renaissance production of the second half of the 19...

Impressive Napoleon III style oak bookcase, richly carved with the allegorical theme of the Four Seasons. The lower doors feature high-relief panels with cherubic figures depicting s...

Walnut bedroom set comprising a bed, a mirrored armoire, and a nightstand, crafted by Louis Malard. The ensemble is made of solid walnut and features finely carved decoration through...

Rare Napoleon III style paneled room in blackened wood (stained beech) with its fireplace in stucco in imitation of porphyry. The fireplace, which is the centerpiece of this paneled...

Signed twice on the lock P. SORMANI 10 rue Charlot Paris Rare neo-Renaissance cabinet in carved wood and Portor marble, adorned with chiseled and gilded bronze. The upper, part, surmounted by a frieze of posts and marble cabochons, consists of a central door decorated with a carved panel representing the birth of Venus, framed by two pairs of ringed and fluted columns with Corinthians capitals in gilded bronze revealing two doors with secret opening. Two drawers with lion’s head shaped handles and a central drawer decorated with tracery in gilded bronze complete the upper part of this cabinet. In the lower part, two drawers on the belt with diamond...

Important two-tiered sideboard attributed to H.A. Fourdinois made in natural and carved wood : the lower part made up of four panels, two concave ones and two doors, richly ornated with a polychrome enameled floral decoration and gilt bronze plaques. A large dual drawer is surmounted by the upper part of the sideboard, opening with two glazed doors, framed by detached columns. The entire unit is topped with a pediment onto which a female bust is carved in relief within a medallion on a gilt background. With a matching set of twelve chairs. The Forney library in Paris preserves order registers of the Fourdinois as well as sketches books and pictures representing pieces of furniture made by the Fourdinois workshops. In this documentation, some elements enable us to link this sideboard with Henri-Auguste Fourdinois’ productions, such as the large scrolls linking the upper part to the lower part of the sideboard, as well as the detached columns carved at their lower third. (picture n°1 attached) Notebook containing ink-sketches coming from the Fourdinois workshop shows a project for a pelmet, beautified with a centering trophy composed of a torch and a quiver within in a foliage wreath, this motif obviously reused by the Fourdinois on the central decoration of the panels of our sideboard. (picture n°2 attached) The firm of Fourdinois, considered during the Second Empire as the greatest furniture manufacturer in Paris, was founded in 1835 by Alexandre-Georges Fourdinois (1799-1871). It was developped in the context of the Expositions Universelles. At the time, the firm already produces furniture of the Neo-Renaissance style, such as a dresser that won the Great Medal at the London Universal Exhibition of 1851. The son, Henri-Auguste Fourdinois (1830-1907), joined the firm in 1860 and will become head of the firm in 1867. The high quality of his designs was remarked at the Universal Exhibition in 1862, when the jury awarded him two medals « for Excellence of Composition and Execution ». Henri-Auguste, now sole in charge, brought the firm to the summit of its achievements at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris by winning the Grand Prize for his stand. Apart from the commissions he executed for the « Mobilier de la Couronne », he also produced high quality furniture for the Parisian bourgeoisie. The firm is at its zenith during the years 1862-1880. At this time, it is considered as an example to follow for other cabinet-makers, whether they are French, British or American. Through the quality of execution and the extreme care taken in the decoration of furniture, H.-A. Fourdinois was particularly appreciated by Napoleon III and Eugenie...

Wonderful castle sideboard, dresser, cabinet, sideboard-credenza in richly carved oak with two-bodies with openings with 2 doors in the upper part and 4 doors in the lower part. The piece of furniture has 3 drawers carved into belts. The 3 drawers are almost invisible on the central belt, they are secret drawers. Richly carved with lions, scrolls of foliage, plants, cornucopia and fruit. The 2 lion heads at the upper ends of the furniture are fascinating, and almost seem to be moving because they are so well executed. The sculptures are delicate and fine, yet deep. Beautiful storage space with doors and drawers and display space in the credenza. Henry II style, Renaissance, Renaissance Revival. French Renaissance furniture...

Small walnut Renaissance style two-tiered buffet or sideboard, opening with two door leaves in the lower part and one door leaf in the upper part, two drawers in the middle. The whol...