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Lot Essay
The table, with its eagle-headed chimeric supports, recalls the work of James Del Vecchio and his son, also James, carvers, gilders, looking glass sellers and composition ornament manufacturers with premises in South Great George's Street, Westmorland Street and finally Brunswick Street, Dublin. The family hailed originally from Maltrasio in Italy, and while James junior was recorded from 1833 to 1851, it is probable that he spent a number of years working for the family business before emerging on his own as a supplier of inventive high-quality giltwood for Dublin.
While relatively few pieces can be attributed with certainty, a common theme appears to be the use of highly individual, fantastic but naturalistic representations of whole or part animals. An article in the Irish Builder of the 1870s, describing the trade established by Italian immigrant craftsmen, stated `Some Italian image modellers and vendors were among those of the earliest settlers, and one Del Stuccovinni (Del Vecchio?) more speculative than the rest of his countrymen, laid the foundation of the modern trade .... garden pedestals , lions, centaurs, eagles, vultures and other mythical birds and beasts of prey for ornamental purposes. Stuccovinni made a good hit'. (D. FitzGerald, 'The Dublin Del Vecchios', The Magazine Antiques, October 1981, pp. 910-914 and M. C. Van Cott, 'The Del Vecchios of New York, Furniture History, vol. XXV, 1989, pp. 221-227).
A pier table from the collection of the Knight of Glin and bearing the label of J. Del Vecchio, featured monopodia supports with hoof feet (sold Christie's, London, 7 May 2009, lot 115, £9,375 including premium. Another, with eagle-like supports with lion paw monopodia, signed Del Vecchio and dated 1831, is illustrated in E. T. Joy, English Furniture, 1800-1851, London, 1977, p. 77.
While relatively few pieces can be attributed with certainty, a common theme appears to be the use of highly individual, fantastic but naturalistic representations of whole or part animals. An article in the Irish Builder of the 1870s, describing the trade established by Italian immigrant craftsmen, stated `Some Italian image modellers and vendors were among those of the earliest settlers, and one Del Stuccovinni (Del Vecchio?) more speculative than the rest of his countrymen, laid the foundation of the modern trade .... garden pedestals , lions, centaurs, eagles, vultures and other mythical birds and beasts of prey for ornamental purposes. Stuccovinni made a good hit'. (D. FitzGerald, 'The Dublin Del Vecchios', The Magazine Antiques, October 1981, pp. 910-914 and M. C. Van Cott, 'The Del Vecchios of New York, Furniture History, vol. XXV, 1989, pp. 221-227).
A pier table from the collection of the Knight of Glin and bearing the label of J. Del Vecchio, featured monopodia supports with hoof feet (sold Christie's, London, 7 May 2009, lot 115, £9,375 including premium. Another, with eagle-like supports with lion paw monopodia, signed Del Vecchio and dated 1831, is illustrated in E. T. Joy, English Furniture, 1800-1851, London, 1977, p. 77.