19TH CENTURY

Details

A PAIR OF ITALIAN SCAGLIOLA TOPS
19TH CENTURY
Each of rectangular shape depicting four hands of playing cards, various musical instruments comprising flutes, a clarinet, a violin and a mandolin, and flanked by sealed letters to one top and a ribbon-tied musical partition on the other top, against a black background and a faux Giallo Antico marble border, within a moulded slate border
30¾ in. (78 cm.) x 43¾ in. (111 cm.) (2)

Special notice

VAT rate of 17.5% is payable on hammer price and buyer's premium when purchased by non-EU purchasers.

Lot Essay

With their amusing display of playing cards and musical instruments, these scagliola tops are reminiscent of an earlier group depicting similar scenes. These include tops executed by Giovanni Leoni at the end of the 17th Century. Soon after, similar tops were made in Emilia as tops for games tables. A closely related scagliola top with playing cards, produced in Tuscany in the 1720-30's is illustrated in G. Manni I Maestri della Scagliola in Emilia Romagna e Marche, Modena, 1997, p. 27.
A further related example was sold Sotheby's New York, 5 November 1998, lot 474.

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