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Lot Essay
The decorative scheme to the frieze of the present console table is distinctive for its allegorical figures. These herm centurions raised above channelled legs resembling inverted obelisks show a certain inspiration à l'antique. This type of composition, where the supports feature figures or animals, was en vogue in Rome and in the Marche region throughout the second half of the 18th century, becoming characteristic of the neoclassical production. The Roman style, which was largely promoted by the architect and designer Giovanni Battista Piranesi (d.1778), is visible on related consoles, such as the consoles conserved in the Palazzo dei Conservatori in Campidoglio; as well as those executed by the intagliatore Antonio Narducci for Palazzo Borghese in Campo Marzio and designed by the celebrated architect Antonio Asprucci in 1773.
It is likely that the present console derived from the same workshop as three other consoles offered Christie's, London, 6 July 2012, lots 139-141, which were possibly originally part of a larger suite from the Palazzo Mattei, Rome. The present console features virtually identical carved decorative motifs to lot 141 in particular.
It is likely that the present console derived from the same workshop as three other consoles offered Christie's, London, 6 July 2012, lots 139-141, which were possibly originally part of a larger suite from the Palazzo Mattei, Rome. The present console features virtually identical carved decorative motifs to lot 141 in particular.