.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
A cassapanca is the combination of a cassone (chest) and a panca (bench) to form a piece of furniture that was also a vehicle for ornate decoration. Cassone first appeared in the late medieval and Renaissance periods, often presented as marriage chests forming part of the bride’s dowry, they were lavishly decorated by some of the leading artists of the period, such as Paolo Uccello and Biagio d’Antonio. Typically depicting triumphal processions and battle scenes, they were amongst the most magnificent and costly items of furniture found in Italian palazzi. However, by the 17th century, cassone were gradually superseded by cassepanche which could fulfil the requirements of being a ‘blank canvas’ for ornate decoration, with the practicalities of also being a useful piece of furniture.
Cassepanche were often placed in entrance halls and principal salons and integrated into the overall decorative scheme of the room they were to be placed in. The ornate decoration of this pair of cassepanche offers a tantalising glimpse of what must have been an extremely opulent interior. A set of four cassepanche, of conforming shape to the present pair and with a similar decorative scheme, can be seen in situ at the Palazzo Tozzoni, Imola (E. Colle, Il Mobile Barocco in Italia, 2000, Milan, p. 260).
The present pair of cassepanche incorporate roundels painted en grisaille and depict the goddess Ceres, seated and holding a scythe and cornucopia respectively. A corresponding cassapanca, certainly designed en suite with the present pair, can now be found in the Sala Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome. A further single cassapanca, almost certainly the counterpart to that in the Santa Cecilia, but incorporating a grisaille roundel of Hercules and pair of torcheres, each depicting a nereid supporting a bracket on a fictive stone base was sold: ‘Pelham, the public and the private’, Sotheby’s, London 8 March 2016, lots 51 and 52.
The Accademia di Santa Cecilia was founded in 1585 by Pope Sixtus V and is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world. Having changed sites numerous times since its founding, the Sala Accademia was built in 1894 by the architect Pompeo Coltellacci and served as the Accademia’s first concert hall. The Accademia di Santa Cecilia also houses one of the finest collections of historic musical instruments, including the ‘Toscano’ violin by Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) made for Ferdinando de Medici (1663-1713) in 1690.
A cassapanca is the combination of a cassone (chest) and a panca (bench) to form a piece of furniture that was also a vehicle for ornate decoration. Cassone first appeared in the late medieval and Renaissance periods, often presented as marriage chests forming part of the bride’s dowry, they were lavishly decorated by some of the leading artists of the period, such as Paolo Uccello and Biagio d’Antonio. Typically depicting triumphal processions and battle scenes, they were amongst the most magnificent and costly items of furniture found in Italian palazzi. However, by the 17th century, cassone were gradually superseded by cassepanche which could fulfil the requirements of being a ‘blank canvas’ for ornate decoration, with the practicalities of also being a useful piece of furniture.
Cassepanche were often placed in entrance halls and principal salons and integrated into the overall decorative scheme of the room they were to be placed in. The ornate decoration of this pair of cassepanche offers a tantalising glimpse of what must have been an extremely opulent interior. A set of four cassepanche, of conforming shape to the present pair and with a similar decorative scheme, can be seen in situ at the Palazzo Tozzoni, Imola (E. Colle, Il Mobile Barocco in Italia, 2000, Milan, p. 260).
The present pair of cassepanche incorporate roundels painted en grisaille and depict the goddess Ceres, seated and holding a scythe and cornucopia respectively. A corresponding cassapanca, certainly designed en suite with the present pair, can now be found in the Sala Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome. A further single cassapanca, almost certainly the counterpart to that in the Santa Cecilia, but incorporating a grisaille roundel of Hercules and pair of torcheres, each depicting a nereid supporting a bracket on a fictive stone base was sold: ‘Pelham, the public and the private’, Sotheby’s, London 8 March 2016, lots 51 and 52.
The Accademia di Santa Cecilia was founded in 1585 by Pope Sixtus V and is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world. Having changed sites numerous times since its founding, the Sala Accademia was built in 1894 by the architect Pompeo Coltellacci and served as the Accademia’s first concert hall. The Accademia di Santa Cecilia also houses one of the finest collections of historic musical instruments, including the ‘Toscano’ violin by Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) made for Ferdinando de Medici (1663-1713) in 1690.