Henri-Auguste Fourdinois

Cabinetmaker (1830–1907)

Maison Fourdinois was founded in Paris in 1835 by Alexandre-Georges Fourdinois (1799–1871). It achieved its first major triumph at the London Great Exhibition of 1851, where a Neo-Renaissance sideboard earned the firm the highest distinction and unanimous acclaim from the press. His son Henri-Auguste trained in draughtsmanship under the architect Félix Duban, then worked in London with the silversmith Morel and in Paris with the bronzier Paillard, before partnering with his father in 1860. A remarkable draughtsman, he was awarded two medals at the London International Exhibition of 1862. The firm subsequently expanded its activity into tapestry, offering complete interior furnishings. As sole head of the firm, Henri-Auguste brought it to its zenith. At the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867, he won the Grand Prix with a sumptuous cabinet in ebony and carved woods, immediately acquired by the South Kensington Museum, today the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Purveyor to the Mobilier de la Couronne as well as to the Parisian upper bourgeoisie, Maison Fourdinois established itself between 1862 and 1880 as a paragon for French, English, and American cabinetmakers.