NAPLES, CIRCA 1760

The form of this piece is typical of mid-eighteenth century Neopolitan consoles: the sinuous, curving legs are headed by large leaf and shell motifs, the inside of each leg is decorated with naturalistic, foliate carving, and a bold rocaille clasp dominates the scrolled apron. A similar example is illustrated in a portrait of King Ferdinand IV at the Age of Nine from 1759-60 by Anton Raphael Mengs illustrated in The Golden Age of Naples: Art and Civilisation under the Bourbons, 1734-1805, The Detroit Institute of Arts with the Art Institute of Chicago, vol. II, 1981, p. 174, fig. 63. Another related gilt-varnished silvered example from the Palazzo Reale, Caserta is illustrated in Civita del '700 a Napoli: 1734-1799, vol. II Naples, 1980, p.195, fig. 435.