A fine Italian ivory, mother-of-pearl and fruitwood marquetry-inlaid ebony and ebonised centre-table**

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THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

A fine Italian ivory, mother-of-pearl and fruitwood marquetry-inlaid ebony and ebonised centre-table**

BY LUIGI AND ANGELO FALCINI, FLORENCE, CIRCA 1840-50

Details

A fine Italian ivory, mother-of-pearl and fruitwood marquetry-inlaid ebony and ebonised centre-table**
By Luigi and Angelo Falcini, Florence, Circa 1840-50
The octagonal tilt top centred by a coat-of-arms for the Migliorati family, within a floral garland, surrounded by eight panels inlaid with scrolling foliage, exotic birds and flower-filled vases, between smaller foliate-inlaid reserves, above a similarly-inlaid central baluster support and spreading octagonal base, on tortoise-form feet
30 in. (76 cm.) high; 61 in. (155 cm.) diameter (2)

Literature

S. Chiarugi, Botteghe di Mobilieri in Toscana - 1780-1900, Florence, 1994, vol. I, pp. 194-199, vol. II, pp. 463-468.
A. Gonzàlez-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, Milan, 1986, vol. I, pp. 181-186, vol. II, pp. 205-212.

Special notice

Notice Regarding the Sale of Material from Endangered Species. Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

The workshops of the Falcini family were established in the early 19th century in the small town of Campi, near Florence, by Gaetano Giuseppe Falcini (d. 1846). In the late 1820s, Luigi, the latter's eldest son (d. 1861), opened a bottega in the via del Fosso, Florence, and was later joined by his brother Angiolo (d. 1850). The first piece to be exhibited by the Falcini brothers was a prize-winning marquetry table shown at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence in 1836, and subsequently purchased by Grand Duke Leopold II for his private collection. The firm continued to exhibit at the Academy throughout the 1840s and completed important commissions for a number of prominent patrons, among which Prince Anatole Demidoff (for pieces by Falcini commissioned by Prince Demidoff see Sotheby's sale of the Villa San Donato, Florence, 21-24 April 1969, lots 115-117), the Duchess of Casigliano and Countess Borghesi. After the death of Angiolo Falcini in 1850, Luigi was joined by his two sons, Alessandro and Cesare, who continued the business until 1882.

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