A set of four Italian neoclassical carved giltwood chairs circa 1810-1820, after a design by Lorenzo Nottolini

the back decorated with "a mecca" gilding, each with inventory numbers in red, black and blue as follows:  in red: 20207, 20208, 20211, 20212; in black 1483, 1479, 1478, 1479; in blue: 26707, 26...(effaced), 26705, 26708; one chair with additional numbers in red 879 crossed out.

Very minor chips and scratches to the gilding with some losses; minor rubbing to the gilding. Traces of old worm. Each bearing various inventory numbers in red blue and black. This lot will be offered without reserve.
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.

Comparative Literature:  

E. Colle, Il Mobile di Corte a Lucca, Lucca, 2005, Tav. LXII, b, page 178

E. Colle, I Mobili di Palazzo Pitti, Il Secondo Periodo Lorenese, 1800-1846, Firenze 2000, page 248 onwards

E. Colle et al., Gli inventari delle corti, Le guardaroba reali in Italia dal XVI al XX secolo, Firenze, 2004, page 158-160

Following the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Marie-Louise de Bourbon, the daughter of Charles IV of Spain, was awarded the Duchy of Lucca, which had formerly belonged to Napoleon's sister, Elisa Baciocchi. From 1817 to 1820 Marie-Louise set out with the assistance of the architect Lorenzo Nottolini to renovate the 16th century Palazzo Ducale in Lucca.

Nottolini's designs were very much influenced by the Empire style.  A project for chairs reproduced in E. Colle, Il Mobile Impero in Italia, Milan, 1998, p. 204, has the same curved back and similar top rail present on these chairs. Another very similar chair, still in the Palazzo Ducale in Lucca is illustrated in S. Chiarugi, Botteghe di Mobilieri in Toscana, Florence, 1991, pp. 152-153, n°175.

Several names of chair-makers are recorded who worked for the Tuscan court.  Pietro Ricci, Gaetano Cambi, Gioacchino Paoli, et al  are amongst the known craftsmen although so far it has not been possible to attribute these chairs to any specific maker.  

The inventory numbers under the seat rails and the colors used are of great importance in order to try to trace their provenance.  In this instance, the style of writing and the colors favorably compare with those found on pieces of  furniture commissioned for Palazzo Pitti, which are still in situ or dispersed. At the Archivio di Stato in Florence (Fondi Guardaroba Medicea e Imperiale e Real Corte) all the inventories of the granducal residences, lived in by the Medici up to the Lorenas,  are preserved.   

Since 1770 regular inventories were carried out at the granducal residencies.  Different colors and numbers were used, each of them identifying a specific residence and a specific year. The old number was cancelled with the color in which the new number was written as can be seen on the present chairs.