Louis XV-style Display Cabinet In Chinese Lacquer, Stamped "millet à Paris"

An elegant Louis XV-style display cabinet from the Napoleon III period, made of violet wood and richly adorned with finely chased gilded bronze. It features beautiful panels of black and gold Chinese lacquer decorated with Asian landscapes, characteristic of the Japonist style of the second half of the 19th century.

Curved front and sides, two glass shelves, arched legs adorned with gilded bronze fittings.

Signed on the lock: “Millet à Paris.”

Biography:

The Millet T. firm was founded in Paris in 1853. A highly talented specialist in the reproduction of 18th-century furniture, Millet produced furniture and artistic bronze pieces of the very highest quality. He was one of the very few cabinetmakers to obtain authorization from the Palace of Versailles to create a replica of Queen Marie-Antoinette’s famous jewelry box. An artist of great merit, he received the highest honors, such as the Gold Medal at the 1889 Paris World’s Fair—where he exhibited for the first time—and the Grand Prix at the 1900 World’s Fair. The photographic archives include, among views of his workshop and his Parisian store, Millet’s booth at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair (United States). The company’s international reach was then extended through its New York branch, “Duryea and Potter,” located at 469 Fifth Avenue, New York. Maison Millet remained in business until 1918.