Joseph-Émmanuel Zwiener fl. circa 1875-1900 A Louis XV style gilt-bronze mounted kingwood, satiné and bois de bout floral marquetry commode, Paris, last quarter 19th century

Born in 1849, Zwiener worked in Paris between 1880 and 1895. He established his workshop at 12, rue de la Roquette, becoming one of the premiere haut luxe cabinetmakers of the late 19th century. The exceptional quality of Zwiener's craftsmanship and extensive usage of fine gilt-bronze invites comparisons to the work of famed ébéniste, François Linke (1855-1946). Working in several styles fashionable in Paris at the time, Zwiener mainly copied Louis XV pieces from public collections, adapting them in his own exuberant interpretation of Rococo. At the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889, he received the gold medal and a note of high praise from the jurists: “dès ses débuts d'une Exposition universelle, [il] s'est mis au premier rang par la richesse, la hardiesse et le fini de ses meubles incrustés de bronzes et fort habilement marquetés.” Zwiener was recorded as an exhibitor for the German Pavillion at the 1900 Exposition Universelle.