Attributed to The Fabrica di Mobili De' Fratelli Lucchesi active 19th Century A fine and rare North Italian ebonized library center table Tuscany, mid-19th century, after designs by Fransesco Bianchi based on Raphael for the dome of the Chigi Chapel

the top finely decorated with engraved brass, pewter, copper, mother-of-pearl and ivory inlays, fitted with four lecterns to each side, the support headed by masks, possibly allegories of the four seasons, joined by a dragon-carved stretcher. 

Simone Chiarugi, Botteghe di Mobilieri in Toscana: 1790-1900, Florence, 1994.

Overall in good condition and presentation with the usual minor hairline scratches and minute nicks to veneers and carcass consistent with age and use. Tarnishing to gold leaf of wooden carved sections in places also consistent with age and atmospheric conditions through the years. One can notice some previous repairs to the wings of the dragons. Two mythological scenes with loss of copper engraved horizontal bandings. Some lifting to the brass inlaid banding, one mythological with loss of one copper inlaid vertical banding. The four lecterns open and close well. This lot has a grand and impressive presentation.
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.

The present library center table is of an exceptionally high standard of cabinetry in keeping with major Tuscan cabinet makers such as the brothers Angelo, Carlo and Giuseppe Lucchesi, Francesco Bianchi, and Salvatore Coco of Florence. This tour de force of fine manufacture and design is further enhanced by four adjustable lecterns fitted to each side, with each lectern decorated with a section of the famous Renaissance allegory best known from Raphael’s mosaic in the dome of the Chigi Chapel in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. Indeed, the designer of the present table was likely familiar with this landmark of the High Renaissance and based his conception of the present table’s inlaid work closely on Raphael’s design, the table top itself reflecting the program of the Chigi Chapel dome. At the center is a Christian image of God the Father, conceived here as the creator and puppeteer of the cosmos. On each of the four sides of the table are ivory engravings of mythological deities representing their namesake planets - Jupiter, Mars, Apollo, Venus, Mercury, Diana and Uranus – with each figure attended by Biblical archangels. On the four rounded corners, one finds portraits of two master painters, Raphael himself and Leonardo da Vinci, and two poets, Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarca, commonly known as Petrarch. As a whole, the inlaid work shows a profound admiration of Italy’s past, conjuring the revered world of Renaissance art through a lens of nostalgia and romance. During Italy’s movement towards unification in the 19^th century, the sculptors and carvers who articulated these ideals took a pride of place in the manufacture of fine furniture.