ATTRIBUTED TO PAULY & CIE, VENICE, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

These whimsical 'Grotto' stools, with their clam or scallop-shells emblematic of Venus, are typical of the late 19th Century fashion for 'fantasy furniture' (B. Newman, Fantasy Furniture, New York, 1989, pp. 57-78). Although rarely labelled, this furniture seems to have been executed in Venice by both Pauly et Cie and Remy & Ci - both of whom described themselves as a 'Fabrique de Meubles, Verreries, Marbres'. A closely related 'grotto' table was sold Christie's, London, 22 September 2011, lot 236 (£20,000 with premium).