Henry Dasson made his mark as a leading Parisian cabinetmaker early in his career, garnering favor with the most important figures in the French aristocracy. The wife of Emperor Napoleon III, Empress Eugénie, whose own tastes were largely responsible for the resurgence of the Louis XIV style, made Dasson her personal cabinetmaker. Like so many others, Eugénie was impressed by Dasson’s skill and refinement and she commissioned numerous pieces to adorn her royal residences. Indeed, Dasson studied the designs of the 18th century and was able to both master and vastly improve upon the methods in which those designs were created. Using the more sophisticated tools of his time, Dasson became renowned for his magnificent and technically superior doré bronze work, as evidenced by this breathtaking commode.
