PAUL SORMANI (1817-1877) - Receive artist alerts » - More items from this artist »

Stamped to the lock plate ‘SORMANI 134 bd Haussmann Paris’.

155.00cm wide    95.00cm high    59.00cm deep (61.02 inches wide  37.40 inches high  23.23 inches deep)

Denise Ledoux-Lebard, 'Les Ebenistes du XIX Siecle', pps. 583-88.

A Fine Louis XV Style Coromandel Lacquer Work Commode With A Marble Top By Paul Sormani.

Stamped to the lock plate ‘SORMANI 134 bd Haussmann Paris’.

This exceptional commode is decorated with panels of Coromandel lacquer depicting a courtly scene of stylised gardens, palaces and courtiers, set within fine gilt bronze frames.

Coromandel lacquer, named after the Coromandel Coast of India through which it passed on its way to European markets, was originally made only in China. The complicated technique involved incising a decorative pattern into the deep lacquer surface and then colouring the incised lacquer areas, creating a relief pattern in reverse. Originally, in oriental lacquer, the cutting of the lacquer surface would reveal coloured layers of lacquer beneath, depending on the depth of the incision.

In Europe this type of carving was originally called Bantam work, rather than Coromandel, in reference to the Dutch trading post in Java from which lacquer ware of this type was collected for shipment to Europe. Both names are a misnomer, as the majority of this lacquer was sourced from the province of Honan in China.

Paul Sormani was a maker of fine 'meubles de luxe', whose work was described in the 1867 Exposition Universelle catalogue as 'toute sa production revele une qualite d'execution de tout premier ordre' ('all his production shows a quality of execution of the first order'). The firm also made eclectic furniture in contemporary styles. It can be difficult to date Sormani's work, as the firm produced furniture for nearly ninety years. However, when Paul Sormani died (circa 1877), his wife took over the business and from this date onwards pieces are normally signed 'Veuve Sormani'.