Rare Italian Painted Cassettone
A rare North Italian Painted Cassette
Late 17th to early 18th Century, probably Milan.
Height: 103cm Width: 122cm Depth: 53cm
A remarkable and highly unusual North Italian cassette, attributed to the Milanese region and dating to the late 17th or early 18th century. This exceptional chest of drawers survives in a rare state of preservation, retaining its original polychrome decoration - an extraordinarily rare occurrence for painted furniture of this period.
Executed in an exuberant and highly decorative style, the surface is adorned with a profusion of fruits, vegetables and florals motifs, rendered in warm, earthy pigments that evoke the richness and abundance of harvest. The composition may be read as a celebratory tribute to fertility, plenty and the rhythms of rural life in 18th century Italy,
The form itself, with its body shaped apron and bracket feet, is typical of Northern Italian cabinetry of the Baroque period. The top drawer conceals a fall-front secrétaire compartment fitted with an arrangement of four small drawers and a central arched recess.
Late 17th to early 18th Century, probably Milan.
Height: 103cm Width: 122cm Depth: 53cm
A remarkable and highly unusual North Italian cassette, attributed to the Milanese region and dating to the late 17th or early 18th century. This exceptional chest of drawers survives in a rare state of preservation, retaining its original polychrome decoration - an extraordinarily rare occurrence for painted furniture of this period.
Executed in an exuberant and highly decorative style, the surface is adorned with a profusion of fruits, vegetables and florals motifs, rendered in warm, earthy pigments that evoke the richness and abundance of harvest. The composition may be read as a celebratory tribute to fertility, plenty and the rhythms of rural life in 18th century Italy,
The form itself, with its body shaped apron and bracket feet, is typical of Northern Italian cabinetry of the Baroque period. The top drawer conceals a fall-front secrétaire compartment fitted with an arrangement of four small drawers and a central arched recess.