Napoleon III tulipwood and kingwood commode by P. Sormani

Of bombe form, ormolu mounted with serpentine marble top above two drawers and cabriole legs, stamped on the wood under the marble at the back right 'SORMANI'.

The distinctive bust mounts cornering this commode are taken from Charles Cressent's 'bureaux a espagnolettes bouclees' of which examples are presented in the Louvre, the Munich Residenz and the National Gallery of Washington. Cressent is not known to have adapted the espagnolettes for use on a commode. The construction of this commode suggests that it is early in Sormani's oeuvre and it is indicative of his ambition and ability to have so successfully created a commode in the 'style of Cressent'.