A NORTH ITALIAN NEOCLASSICAL TULIPWOOD, AMARANTH, FRUITWOOD AND MARQUETRY COMMODE ATTRIBUTED TO GIOVANNI MAFFEZZOLI LATE 18TH CENTURY

with an inset Siena marble top.

Sotheby's New York, December 13, 2003, lot 94.

Well restored and now in very good overall condition. Inset marble top is later. Feet are later. Sides were possibly later converted into door and shelves with marquetry intact. Left side with horizontal age crack. Usual abrasions, patches, and minor losses consistent with use and age.
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.

Giovanni Maffezzoli (1776-1818), a native of Cremona, was the most gifted pupil of Giuseppe Maggiolini (1738-1814). Maffezzoli joined Maggiolini's workshop in Parabiago as an apprentice at the age of fifteen and he would have had access to the source drawings by Appiani and Levati used by Maggiolini for his pieces, see Paolini, Ponte, Selvafolta Il Bello Ritrovato, 1990, pp. 90-91.

Large architectural scenes incorporating Piranesian classical ruins and gothic buildings in a neo-romantic taste are a distinctive feature of Maffezzoli's style, as well as the use of candelabra decoration and Ionic columns at the sides. A commode by Maffezzoli veneered with an identical architectural scene and with identical borders around the drawers and butterflies at the corners was sold, Sotheby's, New York, March 22, 1986, lot 157; it is also illustrated by Alvar Gonzàles Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, Milan, 1986, p. 308, pl. 646.  A second commode, also by Maffezzoli is veneered with an identical architectural panel, ibid., p. 304, pl. 636.