Joseph-Émmanuel Zwiener fl. circa 1875-1900 A FINE RÉGENCE STYLE GILT BRONZE MOUNTED KINGWOOD COMMODE ADAPTED FROM THE CELEBRATED MODEL BY CHARLES CRESSENT Paris, circa 1880s

of bombé form, surmounted by a thick molded Jaune de Trets marble top, the front fitted with two drawers sans traverse and elaborately decorated with bronze mounts of scrolled acanthus leaves, putti and swinging monkeys and dogs, each chute with espagnolette busts, one of the C-scrolled and rocaille-cast encadrements has been removed to reveal the mark ZN from the bronze master model.

Christopher Payne, François Linke:  The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003, p. 201, pl. 217

The marble top with the usual minor chips to its back edge. It is a highly veined yellow Siena marble. The gilt bronze mounts are finely cast and show traces of dirt and tarnishing in places. Each sabot showing more extensive dirt and some points of oxidation. The kingwood veneer would need to be sanded down and varnished for a more homogenous and consistent color throughout. The veneers to the carcass seem to have been poorly restored in many places, now showing dark patches of laquer or varnish. The lower drawer with a poorly restored horizontal crack to its proper lefthand side.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener was born 1849 in Herdon, Germany and became one of the leading craftsmen of Paris in the second half of the nineteenth century. He worked from 1875 to circa 1900 from his premises in the rue de la Roquette.  Specialising in furniture inspired by pieces from the Louis XV period, Zwiener took part in the Exposition Universelle of 1889, where he was awarded a gold medal.  The inspiration for the decoration on this remarkable commode comes from the models made by the great French marchand-ébéniste and scultpteur Charles Cressent (1685-1768) known as commodes aux singes excecuted circa 1745. Cressent made several pairs of commodes each of which had two drawers applied with gilt-bronze decoration depicting children swinging a monkey.  Examples of the commodes can be seen in the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon also has a pair of commodes and a pair of encoigneurs.