Lot 251
  • 251

An Italian Neoclassical gilt-bronze mounted parcel-gilt and polychrome-painted demi-lune commode, the decoration attributed to Angelo Vacca Piedmont, last quarter 18th century

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

  • poplar, pine, gilt-bronze, parcel-gilt, marble
  • height 36 in.; width 71 3/4 in.; depth 28 in.
  • 91.5 cm; 182.5 cm; 71.5 cm

Provenance

Pietro Accorsi, Turin
Arredi, Dipinti e Oggetti d'Arte dalle Collezioni di Giulio Ometto sold Sotheby's Milan, April 11, 2002, lot 360

Literature

Marco Rosci and Enrico Castelnuovo, Cultura figurativa e architettonica negli Stati del Re di Sardegna, 1773-1861, Torino, 1980, p. 118, n. 121.
Roberto Antonetto, Il Mobile Piemontese nel Settecento, Vol. II, Turin, 2010, p. 63, fig. 45.

Condition

Scattered age and construction cracks. Left back leg repaired and with an age crack at join. Minor chips and abrasions to gesso; painted decoration with some losses, inpainting, and areas of rubbing. Decoration has been refreshed in areas. Scattered old wood worm damage mainly to doors and underneath marble top. Marble with some scattered chips to edges and corners.
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.

Catalogue Note

This commode exemplifies the strong French influence on the decorative arts at the Savoyard court in the eighteenth century. Although demi-lune commodes were among the rarer types of furnishings in Piedmont, they were always luxuriously decorated either with elaborate marquetry or with fine and precise painting. Giuseppe Viglione and Ignazio and Luigi Ravelli were among the most famous makers executing sumptuous examples of such pieces. For marquetry-inlaid versions see Roberto Antonetto, Il Mobile Piemontese nel Settecento, Vol. I, Turin, 2010, pp. 326-327; for polychrome-decorated examples see ibid. Vol. II, p. 62-63, figs. 41 and 44.