Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener (1849-1895) ranks among the best Haut Luxe Parisian cabinetmakers of the late 19th century, mainly working in the Louis XV style. Born in Herdon, Germany in 1849, he arrived in Paris by 1880 and set up his workshop at 12 rue de la Roquette, where he remained until his death in 1895. At the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889, he received the gold medal and a note of high praise from the jurists: ” His work is at the forefront, by the richness and boldness of his finished works, as regards the inlays and fine bronze mounts” (freely translated: “dès ses débuts d’une Exposition Universelle, il c’est mis au premier rang par la richesse, la hardiesse et le fini de ses meubles incrustés de bronzes et fort habilement marquetés.”)

The exceptional quality of Zwiener’s craftsmanship and extensive use of fine gilt-bronze is comparable to the work of renowned Ébéniste François Linke.