Lot Essay
The finely inlaid floral marquetry and carefully ordered design of this commode relate it closely to the documented oeuvre of Giuseppe Maggiolini (1738-1814), Intarsiatore delle Loro Altezze Reali. The motif of the fall-front of a flower-filled urn issuing acanthus scrolls and floral garlands relates to marquetry panels on a dressing table in a private collection in Monza and a secretaire in the Palazzo Isimbardi, Milan, illustrated in G. Beretti, Giuseppe Maggiolini, Milan, 1994, figs. XV and XXVII , while a pair of commodes attributed to Maggiolini's son Carlo Francesco (illustrated ibid. fig. 287) also displays similar panels. The distinctive inlay on the side of this commode of an urn with flattened top issuing flowers, recurs in almost identical form on a commode by Maggiolini illustrated in G. Morazzoni, Il Mobile Intarsiato di Giuseppe Maggiolini, Milan, 1957, fig. I. The distinctive arrangement of the drawers of this commode, with a marquetry fall-front hinging open to reveal the drawers inside, is also a feature of Maggiolini's work (see Beretti op. cit. figs. X and XVII).
Maggiolini worked extensively for the Milanese court and for the aristocracy of Northern Italy including Marchese Litta, who, along with the designer Giuseppe Levati, first recognized his talents as an intarsiatore in 1768. His many projects included the furnishing of the Palazzo Ducale in Milan, the Villa Reale in Monza and the Palazzo Ducale in Mantova.
Maggiolini worked extensively for the Milanese court and for the aristocracy of Northern Italy including Marchese Litta, who, along with the designer Giuseppe Levati, first recognized his talents as an intarsiatore in 1768. His many projects included the furnishing of the Palazzo Ducale in Milan, the Villa Reale in Monza and the Palazzo Ducale in Mantova.