A fine Southern Italian fruitwood and walnut ebony inlaid marquetry and parquetry 'Etruscan' commode late 18th century, the mounts English

with an inset Spanish Portor marble top with projecting stiles flanking a pair of doors, each decorated with a baluster vase on a tripod, two long and two short drawers, the handles in the form of eagle heads suspending a ribbon-tied medallion enclosing the Prince of Wales feathers flanked by addorsed dolphins above a floral swag, the whole with a border of ovoloes flanked by stylised bellflowers and roundels with Etruscan scenes depicting neo-classical figures, on square tapering legs

Colour less yellow and slightly darker and much more attractive than in the catalogue photograph.Some very minor pitting to inset marble top with an old restored break which has been very well executed and hardly noticeable and some minor areas of infill and smaller restored break to the front right hand corner. Some minor restorations to the veneer including horizontzal filets added to top and bottom of the doors. Very minor lifting to veneer on the sides with some construction cracks generally to sides and front of doors as visible from the photograph and some show evidence of previous restoration and have opened up again, but can easily be filled. The colour slightly uneven, possibly due to sun exposure, but can easily be repolished. There is a gap between the doors, possibly due to shrinkage commensurate with age. Very attractive detail to marquetry. Hinges and catches on doors later replacements. The rim on the top of the vase on the right door internally has been restored with paint rather than veneer but can be easily restored. In otherwise good conserved condition and in need of some minor attention. An unusual piece. Highly recommended. Attractive estimate.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
Enrico Colle, Il Mobile neoclassico in Italia, arredi e decorazioni diinterni dal 1775 al 1800, Milan, 2005, pp. 78-79.

This unusual  commode with its inset marble top and two doors enclosing drawers inlaid in the Etruscan style reflects the revival of this type of decoration in the late 18th century. Its distinctive features include ornamental motifs such as palmettes, anthemions and neo-classical figures in light colours on a dark ground imitating Antique Etruscan vases.  Colle, op. cit., p. 78-79, no. 11, illustrates a Neapolitan demi-lune commode a vantaux decorated in the Etruscan manner, now in Palazzo Reale, Caserta, Naples. However, the decoration is painted and not inlaid as on the present commode. 

Colle, op. cit.,  also illustrates various interiors conceived in the Etruscan style, such as the doors in Palazzo d'Avalos del Vasto, Naples and a bookcase in the library at Palazzo Reale, both of Neapolitan manufacture. 

The inspiration for the decoration on this piece may well have been inspired by the recueil Antiquités Etrusques, Grecques et Romaines, tires du cabinet de M. Hamilton, envoye extraordinaire de S.M. Britannique en cour de Naples, published in Naples in 1766 by P.F.H. d' Hancarville depicting scenes from Sir Willian Hamilton's collection of antique vases. The contents of this acclaimed collection caused a sensation in both England and abroad and contributed to the revival in classical antiquity and the development of neo-classicism. Another possible source could have been the Collection of Engravings from Ancient Vases mostly of pure Greek Workmanship discovered in Sepulchres In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies... also published in Naples, by W. Tischbein.

The presence of English mounts is intriguing as they bear the Prince of Wales feathers.

A related pair of Neapolitan commodes  à vantaux, was sold as lot 97, in these Rooms, 11th December 2002. Also see a single commode à vantaux sold as lot 86, Sotheby's, Zurich , 11th June 2001.