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The Jupiter & Danaë Secrétaire à Abattant By Paul Sormani
The Jupiter & Danaë Secrétaire à Abattant By Paul Sormani
Dimensions: H: 57.5 in / 146 cm | W: 37.5 in / 95 cm | D: 16 in / 41 cm
The Jupiter & Danaë Secrétaire à Abattant
By Paul Sormani
The original design by Philipe Claude Montigny
Constructed from satinwood, crossbanded with amaranth and inlaid with kingwood and tulipwood, the gilt bronze mounts in the Goût Grec, standing on a plinth support below the double doors with geometric marquetry inlay on bookmatched ground, enclosing an adjustable shelved interior, the sides of the secretaire inlaid with conforming geometric marquetry, while the fall front panel has a large female ormolu figure of the mortal goddess Danaë below the escutcheon depicting Jupiter among the clouds, the interior with central cubbyhole flanked by three drawers to either side and arrangement of shelves above. Surmounted by a marble platform. The lockplate signed 'Paul Sormani / 10, rue Charlot, Paris.'
French, circa 1870
Jupiter & Danaë
Based on a passage from Ovid's Metamorphoses, in which princess Danaë is imprisoned by her father the King of Argos in an attempt to keep the Oracle's prophesy from coming true that he will be killed by a son who she gives birth to. Jupiter takes the form of a shower of gold (here shown is cascading coins), and impregnates Danaë, who then gives birth to Perseus.
Philippe-Claude Montigny (1734-1800)
Montigny was born in 1734, the son of the ébéniste Louis Montigny, becoming a maître himself in 1766. By 1778, he was particularly celebrated for his Boulle style furniture incorporating tortoiseshell, silver, ebony and brass. In fact, he was responsible for the restoration of original Boulle cabinets for the crown following a fire at the Tuileries. He was also known for his writing furniture, with several bureaux plats and secrétaires in public museums around the world.
Four related period examples are known:
1. Musée du Louvre, currently housed in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, sold Paris Ader-Picard-Tajan 15 March 1983, lot 171 (900,000FF).
2. One formerly in the collection of E. Chappey, illustrated in Les Arts 1912: Exposition Rétrospective de l'art Français des Origines à 1800, 1900, Petit Palais, no. 2888.
3. One with Frank Partridge, 1974
4. A further example sold Christie's 2002 (USD 317,500)
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