An Italian carved walnut cassapanca, Tuscan mid 16th century

with a rectangular panelled back, the arm supports carved with the coat of arms of the Piccolomini family, above hinged seat, the raking panelled seat-rail flanked by female masks, on an inverted platform base together with a detachable U-shaped plinth

In overall good conserved condition. Old marks, chips and scratches and watermarks commensurate with age and normal usage. Evidence of old woodworm which appears to be no longer active. There are construction cracks generally at the joints and age cracks and there is a Z-shaped crack in the hinged seat which would benefit from some attention. There are also scattered age cracks generally which can be left as they do not detract from the piece. There is a minor section of moulding missing towards the rear left side when facing together with a crack where there has been a restoration which would benefit from some further attention. There are also some horizontal cracks on the upper side panels and through the left mask when facing. The detachable u-shaped base is very scuffed and stained and there is a section of moulding from the left side when facing missing and a later piece of wood attached to the left side. There are some horizontal cracks across the panels of the back as visible from the catalogue photographs which can easily be filled.
"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:
Franz Windisch-Graetz, Möbel Europas, Renaissance und Manierismus Vom 15. Jahrhundert bis in die erste Hälfte des 17. Jahrhunderts, Munich, 1983, illustrates p. 236, no. 75, a related Florentine cassapanca on a plinth dating to the mid 16th century, in the Kunstgewerbemuseum Schloss Köpenick, Staatliche Museen, Berlin (Inv. Nr. 83, 722).
Augusto Pedrini, Italian Furniture Interiors and Decoration, London, 1949.
Frida Schottmüller, Wohnungskultur und Möbel der Italienischen Renaissance, Stuttgart,1921, pp. 75-80.
Mario Tinti, Il Mobilio Fiorentino, Milan-Rome plates CCXLIX-CCLXIII.

This cassapanca is rare to have survived with its plinth and it is worthwhile noting a related cassapanca illustrated by Pedrini, op. cit. p. 73, fig. 186, of similar form, with sloping panelled seat-rail and coat-of-arms on the arm supports above a very similarly conceived mask on a plinth, reproduced here in fig. 1 (formerly Coll. Bellini, Florence).  

The cassapanca was an ingenious combination of a chest and seat furniture which evolved from the chest and wall bench and first appeared in the 15th century. It would appear to have originated in Florence and was raised on a dias with one or two steps and monumental in form and was executed with the same superlative craftsmanship that distinguished all Florentine furniture of the period. In the homes of the aristocracy and upper classes the cassapanca enjoyed a prominent position in the living appartment where it would be covered with cushions and the master of the house would hold court there whilst seated upon it.

The arms on this cassapanca are of the Piccolomini, an Italian noble family, which was prominent in Siena from the beginning of the 13th century onwards. Their huge wealth derived from trade and established counting-houses in Genoa, Venice, Aquileia, Trieste and in various cities of France and Germany. Another branch of the family obtained  great success in the Kingdom of Naples, becoming one of the "seven great houses" of the kingdom.

See for example a lettuccio or cassapanca sold in these Rooms, lot 26, from the Villa Ca' del Sole, Capri, on 28th October 2004.