A fine French Napoleon III ebonized cabinet, circa 1870 made by Paul Sormani.
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The upper case with blind drawers is decorated with elaborate brass and organic inlays in a Classic Chinoiserie style. Of particular note is that each inlaid embellishment is unique not simply copies of each other.

Paul Sormani (1817-1877) through his workshop designed and made this cabinet. He was a preeminent Italian-born cabinetmaker who moved to Paris in 1847 and quickly established himself as a master of luxury furniture.

He opened his first workshop in Paris that year, and later settled in Rue Charlot in 1867, where he produced high-quality items of standard and fantasy furniture described as "meubles de luxe." Sormani's exquisite craftsmanship, use of rare woods, gilded bronze decorations, and Boulle style inlays attracted the attention of the French aristocracy, including Empress Eugenie, who commissioned him for her royal residences.

Sormani's work earned him numerous awards and accolades, including medals at the Paris and London Expositions.

His workshop remained in business until 1934, a testament to his lasting legacy as one of the most important ébénistes of his time.

The base features a pull out center drawer and a shallow writing surface decorated with a large central inlaid medallion. The base fluted legs and bronze mounts joined by flat stretchers and a center bronze finial. The upper cabinet front with tapering columns rising to the frieze itself supporting the cabinet top of slight breakfront proportions overhanging the center cluster defined by a central locking mechanism flanked by 2 sets of 6 drawers.

Mechanical furniture throughout Europe and the United States has a diverse well-documented history.

These mechanically complex marvels many of which are breathtakingly beautiful in style as well as stunning in their use of gears, slides, hidden drawers, and locks.

Demand for this art form was driven by the public’s growing desire to embrace the Industrial Revolution with its interrelated engineering ingenuity while simultaneously maintaining their desire for old world craftsmanship.

Whether the pieces were utilitarian designed to make life a little easier, or simply fulfilled a desire for innovation for many they made life a more enjoyable. It’s fair to say that mechanical furnishings played an important role in the evolution of furniture design.

The famed London Exhibition of 1851 is broadly considered as the first major public display of these inventive works. This Exhibition ushered in what can be referred to as the golden age of mechanical furniture.

This early embracement primarily showcased examples of items intended for Comercial use such as that of medical professionals and traveling professionals.

It is widely accepted that the genesis and groundwork for these utilitarian items was created and perfected much earlier by some of the most respected names in furniture making

Many craftsmen began utilizing the art form to display their virtuosity, and clients wished to own them so they could display their own discerning taste.

The first echoes of mechanical furniture began in the late 18th century when cabinetmakers first began creating items such as desks and bureaus with secret compartments, hidden pulls and pushes by commission to many of Europe’s leading families. Naturally as engineering and crafting techniques evolved, so did the demand for these fascinating furnishings among the nobility and social elite.

Ironically the advent and success of this art form by the end of the 19th century was a primary driver of furniture makers seeking protection for their innovative designs from imitators.

This “practical” need for protections led to broad acceptance and recognition of intellectual property and patent offices in many countries.

England and Italy had established government-regulated patent systems in the 1870s, France and the United States established official patent systems by the end of the century, giving official protections to all inventors, including gifted cabinetmakers.

This wide spread protection of the industry is credited by many for the overall success of the Industrial Revolution. The artisans led the charge to what resulted in formally protecting the designs of the creators of innovation.