Skip to main content

Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

French, 1848-1895

The 19th-century German cabinetmaker Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener rose to prominence for his beautiful reproductions of Louis XV furniture in the Rococo style. The influence of the Art Nouveau movement can be seen in Zwiener's work as well, and his ornate cabinets, gilded writing desks and exquisitely detailed chests of drawers are just some of the many examples of his mastery of furniture design.

Zwiener was born in Herdon, Germany, around 1848. By 1880, he had moved to Paris and established a workshop on the Rue de la Roquette. Zwiener was quick to earn esteem among the European nobility as a producer of fine furniture. In 1884, he created a replica of the famous Bureau du Roi roll-top desk for King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He also partnered with famed French sculptor Léon Messagé, whose gorgeous designs are credited with helping Zwiener win the gold medal at the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle.

In 1895, Zwiener returned to Berlin after securing a commission from Wilhelm II. His workshop was taken over by cabinetmaker François Linke. Linke's style was similar to Zwiener's. Linke also continued to work with Messagé, preserving the workshop's tradition of exceptional craftsmanship.

In Germany, Wilhelm II was eager to showcase the talents of German furniture makers to the world. He tasked Zwiener with producing an extensive suite of furniture for his royal palaces. The furniture was exhibited at the German Pavilion during the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. Later, many of the pieces followed Wilhelm II to his manor house, Huis Doorn, in the Netherlands, where he lived in exile.

Over his career, Zwiener also produced furniture for elite international clients like New York art collector Charles Tyson Yerkes and French author Baroness Hélène van Zuylen of the Rothschild banking family.

On 1stDibs, find antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener case pieces, tables, wall decorations and more.

2
to
1
1
2
2
2
2
Height
to
Width
to
Depth
to
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
11
60
39
37
37
Creator: Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener
Fine 19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Center Table by Joseph Zwiener
By Jean-Henri Riesener, Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener
Located in New York, NY
An Exceptionally Fine Late 19th Century Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Mahogany Center Table By Joseph Zwiener Joseph Zwiener The rectangular marble top above a frieze dra...
Category

Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Fine 19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Center Table by Joseph Zwiener
Fine 19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Center Table by Joseph Zwiener

Fine 19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Center Table by Joseph Zwiener

Regence Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Bureau Plat by Zwiener, circa 1890
By Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Regence style gilt bronze-mounted bureau plat by Zwiener. French, circa 1890. Stamped to the reverse of the bronze mounts 'JZ'. This fine bureau plat has a shaped leathe...
Category

Late 19th Century French Régence Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Regence Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Bureau Plat by Zwiener, circa 1890
Regence Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Bureau Plat by Zwiener, circa 1890

Regence Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Bureau Plat by Zwiener, circa 1890

Related Items
French Bureau Plat Style Italian 3 Drawer Desk, Bronze Mounts
Located in Miami, FL
French Bureau Plat style Italian 3 Drawer Desk, Bronze Mounts Offered for sale is a fine-quality Italian three-drawer desk reminiscent of the French bureau plat. This graceful des...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

French Bureau Plat Style Italian 3 Drawer Desk, Bronze Mounts
French Bureau Plat Style Italian 3 Drawer Desk, Bronze Mounts

French Bureau Plat Style Italian 3 Drawer Desk, Bronze Mounts

H 30 in W 55.25 in D 29.5 in
French Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Marquetry Bureau Plat
By Jacques Dubois
Located in Forney, TX
French Perfection! A most impressive and very fine quality vintage Louis XV style ormolu mounted marquetry inlaid bureau plat. Exquisitely hand-crafted in the manner of important...
Category

20th Century Louis XV Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

French Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Marquetry Bureau Plat
French Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Marquetry Bureau Plat

French Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Marquetry Bureau Plat

H 32 in W 56.5 in D 31 in
Louis XV Style French Kingwood Parquetry and Gilt Bronze Bureau Plat 'Desk'
By Jean-Pierre Latz
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A late 19th century French Bureau Plat in kingwood and amaranth parquetry with three drawers to one side with gilt bronze decoration all round; notable are the drawer handles modelled with Chinese heads; the two ends decorated with Apollo heads...
Category

Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Kingwood

Louis XV Style French Kingwood Parquetry and Gilt Bronze Bureau Plat 'Desk'
Louis XV Style French Kingwood Parquetry and Gilt Bronze Bureau Plat 'Desk'

Louis XV Style French Kingwood Parquetry and Gilt Bronze Bureau Plat 'Desk'

H 31 in W 52 in D 31 in
French Marquetry Bronze Ormolu Mounted Center or Desk Table
Located in Miami, FL
Wonderful French marquetry and bronze ormolu-mounted table that you can use like a desk, console, center table.
Category

Early 20th Century French French Provincial Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

French Marquetry Bronze Ormolu Mounted Center or Desk Table
French Marquetry Bronze Ormolu Mounted Center or Desk Table

French Marquetry Bronze Ormolu Mounted Center or Desk Table

H 28.75 in W 34.26 in D 18.31 in
French Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Kingwood Three-Drawer Bureau Plat Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A French Louis XV style gilt bronze-mounted kingwood bureau plat (desk). The gilt banded rectangular top set with gilt bronze acanthus mounts at the corners centering a gilt banded i...
Category

20th Century French Louis XV Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Kingwood

French Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Kingwood Three-Drawer Bureau Plat Desk
French Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Kingwood Three-Drawer Bureau Plat Desk

French Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Kingwood Three-Drawer Bureau Plat Desk

H 30 in W 68 in D 36 in
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Kingwood Gilt-Bronze Mounted Bureau Plat Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine and large French 19th century Louis XV style gilt bronze-mounted kingwood and tulipwood bureau plat (Desk or writing table). The shaped re...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Kingwood Gilt-Bronze Mounted Bureau Plat Desk
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Kingwood Gilt-Bronze Mounted Bureau Plat Desk

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Kingwood Gilt-Bronze Mounted Bureau Plat Desk

H 32.25 in W 71.5 in D 35.25 in
Bureau Plat Louis XVI Style in Marquetry and Gilt Bronze
Located in BARSAC, FR
Elegant Louis XVI style Bureau Plat in mahogany and marquetry in rosewood frieze. Beautiful ornamentation of very finely chiseled gilt bronze. Moroccan leather top surrounded b...
Category

Early 1900s French Louis XVI Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Bureau Plat Louis XVI Style in Marquetry and Gilt Bronze
Bureau Plat Louis XVI Style in Marquetry and Gilt Bronze

Bureau Plat Louis XVI Style in Marquetry and Gilt Bronze

H 29.14 in W 51.58 in D 27.56 in
19th Century, French Louis XV Style Wood Centre Desk with Gilt Bronze
Located in IT
19th century, French Louis XV style wood centre desk with gilt bronze This elegant centre desk, therefore finished on all four sides, was made in the 19th century in France, in the Louis XV style. The slightly wavy and curved top has a green leather insert, stamped along the gold border. On the front the cabinet has three drawers: a central and two deeper side. The four legs are arched and give gracefulness to the overall composition. The feet have bronze gilded and chiselled tips with volutes and vegetable...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

19th Century, French Louis XV Style Wood Centre Desk with Gilt Bronze
19th Century, French Louis XV Style Wood Centre Desk with Gilt Bronze

19th Century, French Louis XV Style Wood Centre Desk with Gilt Bronze

H 29.93 in W 51.58 in D 31.5 in
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ebonized Wood and Gilt Bronze-Mounted Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine French 19th century Louis XV style ebonized wood and gilt bronze-mounted figural bureau plat (desk) with three drawers and leather top. The shaped rectangular top enclosing a ...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ebonized Wood and Gilt Bronze-Mounted Desk
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ebonized Wood and Gilt Bronze-Mounted Desk

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ebonized Wood and Gilt Bronze-Mounted Desk

H 32.88 in W 70.25 in D 33.63 in
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marquetry Center Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Very Fine French 19th century Louis XV Style gilt-bronze mounted fruitwood floral marquetry center table or desk with drawer, by Ébéniste Louis Gradé, Gr...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marquetry Center Table
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marquetry Center Table

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Mounted Marquetry Center Table

H 29.25 in W 53 in D 34.25 in
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ormolu-Mounted Bureau Plat Desk
By Paul Sormani
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine and large French 19th century Louis XV style ormolu-mounted mahogany and kingwood three-drawer bureau plat attributed to Paul Sormani (French-Italian 1817-1877). The shaped rectangular top enclosing a gilt tooled brown leather writing surface within a molded border above a long central drawer enclosing a fine modeled mask of Hercules wearing the Nemean lion pelt centered by flat cast encadrements and rosewood veneered a quatre faces flanked by two short drawers with reticulated escutcheons of scantly clad frolicking putti and doves over gadrooned "C" scrolls, trellis patterned panels on a stylized shell within similarly framed encadrements raised on elegant cabriole legs surmounted by bearded satyr masks ending in acanthus case hairy paw feet beneath sides centering bacchic masks. Lock mechanism stamped W S M, 6068, a key (lacking skeleton key), and 148. Veuve Paul Sormani Et Fils was the widow of the highly esteemed furniture maker Paul Sormani (French-Italian 1817-1877). After his death around 1877 she and her son took over the management of the company continuing the tradition of producing fine French furniture of the highest calibre. An escutcheon and several mounts were examined on the reverse, and each was found to have the bronze master model initials "SJ:. Blue chalk inscription on underside Glle 117, Paris, circa 1880. Paul Sormani (1817-1877): Born in Venice, Paul Sormani set up in Paris in the middle of the 19th century. He specialized in creating furniture and works of art and was known for his high quality reproductions of Louis XV and XVI furniture...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ormolu-Mounted Bureau Plat Desk
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ormolu-Mounted Bureau Plat Desk

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ormolu-Mounted Bureau Plat Desk

H 31.88 in W 75 in D 38.5 in
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Kingwood Bureau Plat Desk
By H. Conquet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine and large French 19th century Louis XV style gilt bronze-mounted kingwood and walnut bureau plat by H. Conquet after a model by Charles Cressent. The shaped rectangular t...
Category

19th Century French Louis XV Antique Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Kingwood Bureau Plat Desk
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Kingwood Bureau Plat Desk

French 19th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze-Mounted Kingwood Bureau Plat Desk

H 30.5 in W 79.5 in D 38 in

Joseph-emmanuel Zwiener desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener desks and writing tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener desks and writing tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Prices for Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener desks and writing tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $80,522 and can go as high as $145,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $112,761.

Recently Viewed

View All