A pair of South Italian silvered lacca a mecca console tables, Sicily, circa 1750
Lot Closed
April 29, 03:43 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A pair of South Italian silvered lacca a mecca console tables, Sicily,
circa 1750
of serpentine form, with associated alabastro listrato marble tops, the apron carved with pierced rococo scrollwork, raised on carved legs with scrolls and husks, on hooves, reduced in size
92cm. high, 125cm. wide, 66cm. deep; 3ft.¼in., 4ft. 1¼in., 2ft. 2in.
The present console tables showcasing an harmonious and balanced structure present characteristics typically found in console tables originating from Sicily in the mid-18th century: namely the sinuous, curving bold legs headed by a short pronounced scroll, the legs decorated with husks and an apron centered by a pierced motif flanked by rocaille clasps, with "lacca a mecca" finish - a gilding technique substituting gold leaves for silver ones applied with a varnish imitating gold, popular in furniture production of the south of Italy.
A close comparison is a console table in the Salone degli Specchi at the Palazzo Valguarnera-Gangi in Palermo, Sicily (illustrated in M. Giarrizzo and A. Rotolo, Mobili e Mobilieri nella Sicillia del Settecento, Palermo, 1992, p.106, fig. 58). A similar pierced apron is seen on a Sicilian console table in the J. Paul Getty museum, Los Angeles (acc. no. 95.DA.6).