Italian School, circa 1740

Details
Italian School, circa 1740

A Carrosse Coupé with Panels decorated with Minerva and two Putti; The Front of the Framework; and The Back of the Same

with inscriptions 'Scala di piedi misura di Bologna', 'terza carozza' (verso) (1), 'Partita d'avanti della terza carozza' (2), and 'Partita di dietro della terza carozza' (3); pen and brown ink, watercolor and bodycolor heightened with gold
498 x 870mm. and smaller (3)
Provenance
Jean-Pierre Selz, 1974
Literature
P. Fuhring, nos. 713-5

Lot Essay

The Carosse Coupé was so called because it could only hold one or two persons rather than two pairs, and was supported on a one-beam structure. The ornamental detail of the carving and the asymmetrical cartouches painted in a French-inspired manner date the carriage to circa 1740. The inscription recording that this is the third carriage suggests it was designed for a specific occasion; such as a ceremonial entry of the Pope or an ambassador. A drawing showing the type of event the carriage would have been intended for, with a procession of carriages following the Papal portantina was sold at Christie's, London, 1 April 1987, lot 20, illustrated. Fuhring has identified a design for a carriage by the same hand with Spanish arms in the Museo Nacional dos Côches, Lisbon. He suggests both this and the Lisbon design were commissioned by a Spanish patron from an Italian craftsman