Magnificent, Large Armoire in Louis XV Style, France, circa 1900
This magnificently crafted armoire is lavishly adorned with gilded bronze decorations and veneered in rosewood, also known as kingwood or violetwood.
The entire corpus is divided into three main segments, with the large, slightly protruding central section featuring a faceted mirrored door, richly decorated with floral Bronze Doré ornamentation.
The doors of the two narrower, slightly recessed sections to the left and right of the central part are also adorned in their upper two-thirds with faceted mirrors and bronze doré frames. The lower third, however, is elaborately inlaid with floral and foliage motifs and framed by a finely chiseled Bronze Doré border.
The splendid central door opens to reveal a spacious interior, fitted with two adjustable shelves, a clothing rod, and a delicate holder for ties or scarves on the inside of the door. The two compartments on either side of the central section contain various adjustable shelves and a lockable interior drawer.
The large base, spanning the entire width of the cabinet, stands on six legs and is exquisitely adorned with gilded bronze appliqués. At its center, the base is decorated with an ornate fire bowl, seamlessly transitioning into the delicate bronze moldings that embellish the entire lower structure.
The opulent armoire is crowned with a grand shell motif, flanked by acanthus scrolls and stylized ocean waves. At the four front-facing corners of the armoire, large, finely chiseled, and openwork decorative elements are present.
The cabinet retains its three original double-locking mechanisms, each with finely chiseled, gilded keys. The gilded bronzes bear the signature “ZN” on their reverse side.
Exceptional pieces like this armoire were crafted by Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener for the most distinguished patrons and graced the most opulent homes — not only in France. François Linke produced a very similar model as a vitrine under index number 521, in which the three doors were fitted with glass instead of mirrors.
Read more about Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener (1848 – 1925):
Originally from Germany, the cabinetmaker Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener ranks among the most important furniture makers of his era — not only in Paris.
He became renowned in the 19th century for his exquisite reproductions of Louis XV furniture in the Rococo style, though many of his designs already hinted at the emerging influence of Art Nouveau.
His masterful craftsmanship was evident in exquisitely decorated salon furniture, adorned with finely chiseled gilded bronzes and intricate marquetry, which captivated an enthusiastic clientele. Born in Heidau, Silesia (Germany) in 1848, he moved to Paris in the 1880s, establishing himself on Rue de la Roquette.
Zwiener quickly gained great prestige among European nobility as a producer of the finest furniture. One of his most notable patrons was King Ludwig II of Bavaria, for whom he created, among many other pieces, a reproduction of the famous Bureau du Roi.
His collaboration with the renowned French sculptor Léon Messagé was of particular significance. Messagé’s extraordinary designs reportedly helped Zwiener secure the gold medal at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, after which he continued to work in Zwiener’s atelier. In 1895, Zwiener returned to Berlin after receiving a commission from Kaiser Wilhelm II.
That same year, his Paris workshop was taken over by the German cabinetmaker François Linke, who was six years younger and had likely worked for Zwiener upon arriving in Paris.
Linke’s style closely resembled Zwiener’s, and he continued the collaboration with Messagé, preserving the workshop’s tradition of extraordinary craftsmanship.
At the turn of the 19th century, Kaiser Wilhelm II was eager to showcase the talents of German furniture makers — many of whom had emigrated to France — to the world. To this end, he commissioned Zwiener with the extensive furnishing of his royal residences. Some of these works were later exhibited in the German Pavilion at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.
Many of the furniture pieces created by Zwiener accompanied Wilhelm II into exile and found their place in his mansion, Huis Doorn, in the Netherlands.
Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener crafted his sumptuous furniture for countless European noble houses, banking families, industrialists, and manufacturers. Among his distinguished clientele were the New York art collector Charles Tyson Yerkes and the French writer Baroness Hélène van Zuylen, a member of the Rothschild banking family.
