A pair of Italian gouache on canvas and painted corner cupboards, the decoration attributed to Alessio de Marchis, circa 1740

the shaped and pierced cornices with strapwork and scrolls, the bowed fronts each concealing two cupboards decorated in gouache on canvas, the upper and lower cupboards each with a landscape scene in an elaborately shaped trompe l'oeil giltwood frame within a simulated ribbed moulding enclosing a shelf, the flanking uprights decorated with pendant leaf garlands on shaped bracket feet 

 

These charming cabinets are in good conserved condition, the interiors having been repainted, and the doors reinforced. The crests have been repaired. Marks and scratches consistent with age and use. The rough painted surfaces with some lacunae and distressed in areas, and areas of retouching namely to edges, but overall with vibrant colours and with great decorative effect.
"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:
A. Cerboni Baiardi, 'Alessio De Marchis', in A. Ottani Cavina and E. Calbi, La pittura di paesaggio in Italia.  Il Settecento, Milan, 2005, p.174-175.

This most unusual pair of cabinets is executed in a technique extremely rare in European furniture. The façades are entirely covered in open weave canvas primed with gesso as a preparation for painting in gouache giving the surface a fresco-like quality. The cabinets were originally incorporated into a room in which gilded picture frames with the same rust-red cross-hatching formed an integral part of the decoration. The style of decoration is identical to that of schemes executed in fresco in many Italian palaces of the mid 18^th century and can be attributed with a strong degree of certainty to Alessio de Marchis (1675–Perugia 1752) a prolific artist-decorator working in Naples and Rome in the mid 18^th century.

Born in Naples, and a pupil of Rosa da Tivoli, in the 1690's de Marchis travelled extensively across Italy, spending several years in Rome, where he worked for the Teodoli, Ruspoli and Gaetani families. Following a five-year spell in prison, in 1721 de Marchi followed the influential Cardinal Annibale Albani to Urbino. Typically, in addition to numerous paintings on canvas and wood, his production for the Cardinal includes several painted doors, most of them now lost. He was responsible for decorative schemes at the Palazzo Ducale, Urbino, the Ruspoli and Albani palaces in Rome, and the Anselmi and Canali palaces in Perugia.