LATE 16TH CENTURY, POSSIBLY BY THE WORKSHOP OF GIOVANNI BATTISTA DE CURTIS, NAPLES

Details

A PAIR OF ITALIAN ROSEWOOD, EBONY AND IVORY-INLAID TRESTLE TABLES
LATE 16TH CENTURY, POSSIBLY BY THE WORKSHOP OF GIOVANNI BATTISTA DE CURTIS, NAPLES
Each top depicting scenes from the Trojan Wars surrounded by armorial shields and griffins within borders scattered with flowers and fruits, the corners with mythological panels including Leda and the Swan and episodes from the story of Hercules, on conformingly inlaid trestle supports
30 ¾ in. (78 cm.) high; 51 in. (129 cm.) wide; 25 ½ in. (64.5 cm.) deep

Provenance

Probably acquired by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart. (1803-73), for Knebworth House, Hertfordshire. Thence by descent to the present owner.

Literature

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
A. Gonzalez Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto: Roma e il regno delle due Sicilie, Milan 1984, vol. I, p. 242 & vol. II, figs. 434-36, pp. 190-91.
M. Riccardi-Cubitt, The Art of the Cabinet, London 1992, pp. 49-50.
E. Colle, Il mobile barocco in Italia, 2000, pp. 23, 209-210, 448.
G. Ferrari, Il legno e la mobilia nell’Arte italiana, Milan, 2nd ed., p. 313.
A. Gonzalez Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto: Roma e il regno delle due Sicilie, Milano, 1984, vol. I, pp. 239-249 & vol. II, figs. 416-439.

Special notice

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. This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

Brought to you by

Paul Gallois

pgallois@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2260

Lot Essay

These intricately engraved ivory-inlaid trestle tables are closely related to a similar pair of tables in the collection of the Galleria Doria Pamphilij in Rome, discussed in Gonzalez Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, vol. 1, p. 242 and vol. 2, figs. 434-36, pp. 190-91 as possibly by the hand of Neapolitan ivory engraver Giovanni Battista De Curtis (active late 16th- early 17th century). Together with other leading craftsmen such as Pietro Pax and Gennaro Picicato, he is known to have collaborated with Flemish cabinetmaker Iacobo Fiamengo on several pieces of furniture, mainly cabinets and tables.

Gonzalez Palacios records a closely-related table in the Sala del Greco at the Escorial Palace (Madrid), as well as a similar one (illustrated in Ferrari, Il legno e la mobilia nell’Arte italiana, p. 313) currently in the collection of the Museo delle Arti Industriali in Rome. A closely-related table, attributed to Fiamengo and De Curtis, sold at Christie’s London 12-13 December 2007 (Collection of Giorgio Marsan and Umberta Nasi, lot 25, £120,500).

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