A stained glass and wood cupboard, 
Possibly workshop of Giuseppe Parvis, Cairo, Egypt, retailed...

A La Place Clichy was a large shop in Nice during the 19th century which advertised itself as "La première maison du monde pour les importations Orientalistes." The flagship store occupied a large front in Rue d'Amsterdan and Rue de St. Petersburg in Paris.

The venture of the Grands Magasins started in Paris, at number 97 of the Rue d'Amsterdam under the name of Magasins de Nouveautés de la place Clichy in 1865. Although clearly inspired by the great department stores of the period such as la Samaritaine (1870) and le Bon Marche (1838 and entirely refurbished in 1852), Paul Argand, a founder and associate and made director in 1877, would make the most of the middle and upper class-consumer's craze for such large establishments and the high demand for anything "oriental" and, particularly, "mauresque". He would also, very shrewdly, target the more modest clientele with attractive "semaine de réclames" or sale periods and affordable ranges across the Magasins. The Magasins' sister store located Rue de la Gare, in Nice, which remained opened until 1902, would capture the foreign aristocrats and wealthy clientele staying in the Riviera's grand homes and hotels from Cannes to Monaco. A keen traveller and a specialist in what was then called oriental art, he set off to Afghanistan, Central Asia, Persia, the Middle east and North Africa and would come back laden with carpets, furniture, textiles and other wares he would then sell in the Magasins de la Place Clichy. He also set a precedent in that he would set up workshops in those countries in order to ensure a steady supply of his magasins and would open the capital of the company to his employees via affordable priced shares.

Giuseppe Parvis was born in Breme in the province of Pavia in 1831 and graduated from the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin. In 1859, he left for Egypt, where he became famous as a cabinet maker. Upon his arrival he started studying and drawing Islamic architecture, its decorations and elements. Visiting old houses, markets and second-hand dealers in the city, he brought and purchased architectural elements and integrated and transformed them into Moorish-style furniture then very much in demand by European either locally or, back home, on the other side of the Mediterranean sea. His production was met with great enthusiasm and Parvis became so popular that he exhibited in many international or world exhibition such as Paris, Milan and Philadelphia. To meet the demand Parvis operated from his shop cum gallery and workshops in Ataba al-Khadra Square in Cairo which his sons operated after his death.

Considering the style of our cabinet and the elegance of its carvings and moucharaby panels, it is likely our lot was part of the Parvis production, or perhaps, part of a range produced by Parvis after an order by Paul Argand's Grand Magasins de la place de Clichy. A black and white photography of Parvis' shop on Ataba al-Khadra Square gives a very clear impression of his production in the Moorish-style, then coveted by the well-off metropolitan classes. A comparable cabinet can be seen on two images published by a website's article dedicated to Parvis. The two stage piece of furniture with elaborate panels, spandrels and pediment echoes the exhuberance of our lot (https://www.greategypt.org/p/giuseppe-parvis.html ill.2 and ill.5). As both MM. Argand and Parvis intended, our cabinet found its way to France and, ultimately the U. K. as it was retailed in Nice, a favourite destination of the British upper-classes at the turn of the century.

For more on Les Grands Magasins de la Place Clichy, their catalogues and pamphlets : https://bibliotheques-specialisees.paris.fr/search/78b5b8e9-d2d1-4bc0-8215-d97e06b5fa99
For more on Giuseppe Parvis : https://www.greategypt.org/p/giuseppe-parvis.html