This flamboyant and sculptural Rococo style cabinet by the renowned Parisian ébéniste Théodore Millet is typical of the firm’s high quality and inventive production in the late 19^thcentury. Founded in 1853 by his father, the Maison Millet won many awards at international exhibitions such as the Médaille d'or at the Paris 1889 Exposition Universelle, a Grand prix in 1900 and three Diplômes d'Honneur. Whilst his work is synonymous with the firms of Zwiener and Linke, sculptor Léon Messagé’s (1842-1901) imprint on the present cabinet is undeniable and almost certainly by osmosis. The neo-Rococo outline of the present lot, adopting the asymmetry popularised in the 1720s by Parisian designers such as J.-A. Meissonnier, was characteristic of forms revived by Zwiener and Linke through their celebrated collaboration with Messagé. The undulating and sinuous shape of the cabinet is notably reminiscent of Zwiener’s vernis Martin serre-bijoux commissioned for Empress Maria Feodorovna and subsequently sold at Christie’s, London, 17 March 2011, lot 409. A preparatory drawing for a vitrine by Messagé, illustrated in C. Payne, Francois Linke: The Belle Epoque of French Furniture, Woodbridge, 2003, p. 167, pl. 180, bears striking similarity in form to the present example and even closer still to a four-sided vitrine shown by Millet in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair (illustrated C. Mestdagh, L'ameublement d'art français, 1850-1900, Paris, 2010, p. 175). Furthermore, the expressive infant Mars, or enfant guerrier, surmounting the present cabinet is somewhat a hallmark of Millet's work, it also appears on stretchers by Linke demonstrating the interconnectivity of design practices among Parisian makers in the late 19th century. Whilst it may prove impossible to substantiate his hand in this work by Millet, the stylistic traits point at least to his work as a fruitful source of inspiration. A cabinet of this form, almost certainly the present lot, was shown by Millet alongside substantial works in an undated album photo believed to be from the turn of the 20th century. A vitrine of this form was sold in Vue Sur La Riviera – La Villa D’un Collectionneur, Sotheby’s, Paris, 25 November 2019, lot 40 (€95,000).