Paul Sormani 1817 - 1887 A Louis XV style gilt-bronze wall clock, Paris, last quarter 19th century

the enamel dial inscribed P. Sormani / A Paris, the twin train movement with the Marti et Cie seal and the number 28873

Camille Mestdagh, L'Ameublement d'Art Français: 1850-1900, Paris, 2010, p. 296, pl. 354 for a closely related wall clock  

Paul Sormani (1817-1877) was one of the most important Parisian cabinet makers of the second half of the 19th century. He commenced business at 7 Cimetière Saint-Nicolas and in 1847 moved to 114 rue du Temple. By 1867, when he opened at 10 rue Charlot, he was at the pinnacle of his sucess. A contemporary source describes his work in glowing terms: "toute sa production révèle une qualité d'exécution de tout premier ordre".

Sormani first showed his work at the 1849 Paris Exhibition, where he was awarded a bronze medal, and then again at the International Exhibition in 1855, when he obtained a first class medal. He travelled to London in 1862, where he gained another award. He was also given special mention of his petits meubles de fantaisie et objet décoratifs en bronze at the Paris Exhibtion of 1867.