This superb bonheur du jour is indicative in its rich use of materials as well as superb craftsmanship of the 'meubles de luxe', produced in Paris during the Belle Epoque. Based on the work of the 18^thcentury ebeniste Adam Weisweiller (1744-1820) Henry Dasson (d.1896), one of the foremost makers of luxury furniture, manufactured direct copies and adaptations of the model, originally from the 1780s a century later. Having purchased the firm of Charles-Guillaume Winckelsen, upon his death in 1870, Dasson came into possession of the cabinetmakers plans for this model as well as the molds for the mounts. Unlike earlier direct copies the present model is not based on these illustrating the evolution and adaption of its maker and the taste for 18^th century decorative arts, as well as the revived interest for Japanese lacquer among his clientele, from Rothschilds to Vanderbilts. Indeed upon the closing of his workshop in 1894 an auction was held, nearly a quarter of which consisted of Japanese or Chinese lacquer objects, a testament to Dasson’s taste for the material. Two examples of the same model was exhibited at the Amsterdam International Exhibition of 1883. Another example of the same model was sold Christie's, New York, 23 November 2013, lot 153 ($56,250).