AN ITALIAN CREAM PAINTED AND PARCEL-GILT COMMODE, CIRCLE OF GIUSEPPE MARIA BONZANIGO, PROBABLY BY FRANCESCO BOLGIÈ, PIEDMONT, CIRCA 1780 |

the later serpentine-fronted Siena marble top with rounded corners and concave sides, the conforming case fitted with two long drawers centered by a carved female mask, flanked by scrolling garlands of flowerheads within a border carved with guilloche, the sides centered by a stylized rosette within ribbon-tied floral garlands, the corners with flowerhead carved fluted pilasters, raised on circular tapered legs carved with acanthus leaves 

Property from the Collection of the Late Peter A. Paanakker, Los Angeles;
sold Sotheby’s, New York, 25 May 2000, Important French and Continental Furniture, lot 249;
Where acquired by the current owner.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

G. Ferraris, 'Francesco Bolgiè', in Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo e la scultura decorativa in legno nel periodo neoclassico (1770-1830), Turin, 1992, pp. 91, 97, 98 and 111. 
R. Viandes Rives, La Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Paris, 2002, p.25.
Genio e maestria. Mobili ed ebanisti alla corte sabauda tra Settecento e Ottocento, Turin, 2018, pp.138-141; for a biography of Bolgiè.

This commode is in overall reasonable condition. Re-gilt and generally with chips, marks and losses throughout consistent with age and use. Retaining original metalwork including handles in the form of a flower and escutcheon. The marble top is later and has been restored particularly to a latitudinal break. With minor chipping to the back edge and two holes. Detailed images available upon request to the furniture department.
"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."

This elegant cream painted commode of architectural outline and parcel-gilt detail is a fine example of the idiosyncratic work emanating from Piedmont during the last decades of the 18th century and can be attributed to the regio scultore in legno, Francesco Bolgiè (1752-1834). Bolgiè was active as a carver at the Court of the King of Sardinia until at least 1825. He was trained in Paris in the 1770’s having been sent there by his father, Giovanni Battista, who was also active as a carver in the Sardinian Court. On the 30th of December 1769, the Piedmontese foreign minister, Raiberti wrote to the Sardinian ambassador in Paris: "Sa Majesté m'a parlé ce matin d'un jeune homme piémontois nommé Bolger, que ses parents ont envoyé depuis quelques temps à Paris, pour s'y perfectionner dans la profession de sculpteur. Elle seroit bien aise que V.E. me donnat des informations exactes de sa conduite, de son application, de ses progrès, et du plus ou moins d'espérance qu'il donne d'une bonne réussite [...]."

This letter proves that Carlo Emanuele III was interested in the development of the most promising Italian artists and wanted to be informed of their progress and their good conduct. Francesco Bolgiè travelled to Paris where the neoclassical form codified by the the work of Jean-Charles Delafosse influenced the style of the young carver, who managed to combine a dynamic yet refined grace in his work.

In 1775, he became a member of the Compagnia di San Luca and in the same year, Vittorio Amedeo III named him "regio scultore in legno" and he was the first, i.e. before Bonzanigo and Giuseppe Gianotti to be awarded a salary of 300 lire a year. He supplied many pieces of furniture for the Palazzo Reale, including a table in the apartments of Princess Maria Felicita of Savoy in 1777 and a giltwood frame for a portrait of Maria Clotilde of France, Queen of Sardinia in 1787.

In 1789, alongside Bonzanigo and other artists, Bolgiè contributed to the decoration of the apartments of the Dukes of Aosta, in the Palazzo Reale. As part of this project, he is known to have supplied the gilded balustrade adorned with putti, girali of acanthus, torches and doves, to enclose the bed of Maria Teresa of Habsburg Lorena-Este, the young bride of the Duke of Aosta. In total, Bolgiè supplied 25 commodes, 27 console tables, and 26 cabinets, against, respectively, 2, 6 and 11 by Bonzanigo. [1]

Bolgiè created delicate neoclassical reliefs applied to furniture and carved panels making reference to ancient Greek and Roman art, such as found on the carved adornment on a corner cabinet in the Palazzo Reale. [2] However, this commode is attributed to the work of Bolgiè on the basis of the decoration of the front of the commode which incorporates a female mask surrounded by scrolls of flowers and leaves. 

These characteristics are found again on several pieces of Bolgiè furniture, including the reliefs on the door of the Duchess of Aosta’s bedroom (illustrated G. Ferraris, op.cit., Tav. 24), of a commode in the Duchess of Aosta's apartment (fig.1) and of a commode located at Stupinigi, the hunting lodge of the Palazzo Reale (illustrated G. Ferraris, op.cit., Tav. 28).

Of imposing presence, this commode was conceived as a grand pair, with the other in the collection at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Saint-Jean-Cap- Ferrat (ill. R. Viandes Rives, op.cit. p.25) - fig.2.

Peter A. Paanakker (1925-1999)

Major Donor for The Huntington Chinese Garden, a member of The Huntington's Board of Overseers, Peter Paanakker was born in Paris in 1925, the son of Katherine Kolb and Anthony Paanakker. He was a businessman (main partner at the stockbrokers Speirs & Paanaker from Los Angeles), philanthropist, antiques dealer and private collector. At the age of ten he arrived in Philadelphia with his American mother and spent time with his grandfather, Colonel Lewis J. Kolb, who had a large collection of Washington and Lincoln memorabilia, as well as a remarkable collection of Fabergé. 

[1] Genio e maestria. Mobili ed ebanisti alla corte sabauda tra Settecento e Ottocento, Turin, 2018, p.138.
[2] R. Antonetto, Il Mobile Piemontese nel Settecento, Turin, 2010, pp.374-375.