A PAIR OF VENETIAN ROCOCO POLYCHROME-PAINTED AND PARCEL-GILT BENCHES MID-18TH CENTURY

Palazzo Donà dalle Rose, Venice;
Adolfo Loewi, Venice

Lot 201 forms part of a suite with lots 202 and 203, all of which have been in an unrestored old state for at least the previous 100 years, when they were last acquired. They are all covered in an old discoloured yellow varnish with extensive losses and flaking that reveal the original red, blue and green polychrome lacquer surface decoration on a cream ground still intact underneath. A sympathetic restoration will return this ensemble to its original glory and reveal a superlative example of 18th-century Venetian Rococo lacquer furniture. Both benches have age splits at the joints and old worm damage. Both central front legs have become detached at the joint and repaired, one with wedges and the other with a metal T-bracket, and both have again become loose and require attention. The other joints are secure and the benches are structurally sound. Feet with metal caps. One of the pair of benches in Lot 202 has carved leaf pendants attached to the two central shells on the front seat rails, a detail which does not appear on any of the other benches including this pair, but may have originally been present.
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.

Venetian rococo decorative arts is synonymous with polychrome-decorated, most often lacquered or lacca povera, furniture and objects. Besides the present benches, which are en suite with lots 202 and 203, the Rosen collection at Caramoor include a number of such emblematic  works produced in Venice in the mid-eighteenth century, including a group of small caskets and boxes (lot 194). Not having armrests, the six panche offered here are distinctively different from divans and settees and were most likely conceived as window seats. Having relatively low backs that were left undecorated to the reverse further suggests that these benches were destined to be placed in window niches without obstructing the view. Because of their matching decoration and matching heights, these benches were almost certainly intended to furnish the same interior, most likely the main hall on the piano nobile of Palazzo Donà dalle Rose. The Palazzo was begun by Doge Leonardo Donà (d. 1612) in 1600 and finished after his death. It is also conceivable that these benches were part of a larger matching suite comprising of settees, chairs, armchairs and stools. For a settee with related open back, seat rails and back splats with comparable shell and foliate carving and very similar floral decoration from the collection of count Francesco Castelbarco Albani, see Saul Levy, Lacche Veneziane Settecentesche, Milan, 1967, figs. 38-39. The color scheme of the lacquered settee illustrated by Levy is basically identical to the original coloration of the six panche offered here. The overall yellow color of the Caramoor benches is actually a discolored varnish, which is now peeling in areas revealing the original and mostly intact polychrome decoration. Interestingly, one of the benches is partially inscribed in English on the underside mentioning the piece being white and the date of 1959. It is possible, that the current and once clear varnish was applied by a conservator that year and it has since yellowed. With proper restoration this varnish could be removed to reveal these benches in their original glory.