AN ITALIAN IVORY, MARQUETRY AND EBONISED BUREAU-CABINET

LATE 17TH CENTURY, THE MAJORITY OF THE ENGRAVED IVORY PLAQUES CONTEMPORARY BUT PROBABLY ASSOCIATED, THE MARQUETRY PANEL TO FALL-FRONT LATE 16TH CENTURY

Details

AN ITALIAN IVORY, MARQUETRY AND EBONISED BUREAU-CABINET
Late 17th Century, the majority of the engraved ivory plaques contemporary but probably associated, the marquetry panel to fall-front late 16th Century
The classical architectural facade decorated with various old and testament scenes, the arched superstructure wtih a drawer above three doors, above a panelled fallfront centred by a foliate marquetry panel, enclosing a plain interior with six drawers above a leather-lined writing surface, above a narrow drawer and three panelled canted drawers, on scrolling feet, the handles and locks replaced, the back feet later
70 in. (178 cm.) high; 43 in. (111 cm.) wide; 20½ in. (52 cm.) deep

Lot Essay

This interesting type of cabinet with its geometric patterns and richly engraved ivory inlay through its complex and rich decoration reflects well the growth of intellectual curiosity and scientific discovery of the 17th Century. Milan and Naples were famous production centres of engraved ivory-inlaid ebony panels. Small ivory panels were often reused and set in cabinets and other pieces of furniture.
A bureau cabinet of related form in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome, is illustrated in A. González-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, Roma e il Regno delle Due Sicilie, Milan, 1984, vol.II, p.189, fig.430.

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