Théodore Millet A fine and important gilt bronze, satinwood, stained sycamore and fruitwood marquetry armoire Paris, circa 1900

the central cupboard door opening to three shelves, one mount removed to reveal the stamp MB from the bronze master model 

Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1900.

Camille Mestdagh. L'Ameublement d'art Francais, Paris 2010 p. 198-199, and fig. 228 for the related meuble à bijoux.

Victor Champier, Les Industries d’Art, A Exposition Universelle de 1900, Première Partie, Tome Second, Paris, 1902, p.166

Overall very good to fine condition and presentation. The usual very light surface scratches and wear to finish consistent with age and use, some light tarnish and very minor pitting to some bronze elements consistent with age and atmospheric conditions. Small repair to lower right corner of upper section, and one or two mounts loose around feet of lower section. One or two very minor veneer chips and replacements. The marquetry overall in fine condition. Keys and three shelves present, the shelves with heavier scratches and wear owing to the placement of objects over time.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Together with masters such as Linke and Zwiener, around 1900 Millet continued to be strongly influenced by Louis XV designs, and produced most of his furniture in the style of the ancien régime. At the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle however, he ventured a new style, incorporating the influence of the almost fully emergent art nouveau. This exceptional armoire is a tour de force of marquetry and bronze, and with its organic and foliate elements beautifully encapsulates this new style, also presented at the exhibition in works by Emile Gallé and Louis Majorelle. His bedroom suite, of which the present armoire was a part, was praised by Victor Champier in Les industries d'art à l'exposition universelle de 1900': Un fabricant qui, d'ordinaire se consacre uniquement au genre ancien, M. Millet, a exposé un ameublement de chambre à coucher dont il composé lui-même toute l'architecture dans un sentiment dégagé de toute préoccupation de style. De bois de citronnier marqueté de couleurs claires et gaies, garnies de bronzes dont la ciselure est très poussee, toutes les pièces du mobilier sont d'un travail parfait: la patine, d'or discrètement teinté, s'harmonise avec la clarte des marqueteries, et l'ensemble est d'une tonalité très agréable. The meuble à bijoux from the set is illustrated in Camille Mestdagh, L'Ameublement d'art Francais (fig.1), together with a dressing table and a Psyche, the figures designed by Claudius Marioton.