A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED PORPHYRY VASES AND COVERS

Established by Théodore Millet in 1853, the Maison Millet operated until 1902 from premises at 11, rue Jacques-Coeur, Paris, before relocating to 23, boulevard Beaumarchais. Specialising in 'meubles et bronzes d'art, genre ancien et moderne', with an accent on the Louis XV and XVI styles, Millet won awards in Paris and London including a gold medal at the 1889 Pairs Exposition Universelle, a Grand Prix in 1900 and three further diplômes d'honneur and four médailles d'or. In 1902 the firm was authorised by the director of the Palais de Versailles to replicate Marie-Antoinette's celebrated Grand cabinet à bijoux. An auction of the firm's inventory was held in 1906 and they finally ceased trading in 1918.