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Lot Essay
This pair of splendid console tables are a rare example of furniture commissioned to celebrate the alliance of two wealthy Florentine families through marriage, Giovanni Vincenzo Torrigiani (1662-1719) and Teresa del Nero. The exuberantly carved legs bear the coat-of-arms of the Torrigiani and del Nero families.
The marriage between Giovanni Vincenzo Torrigiani (son of senator Carlo and Camilla Strozzi), and Teresa del Nero (daughter of Luigi Maria del Nero and Anna Maria Borbon del Monte) took place in Florence in 1692. A prominent and affluent 16th century family, the Torrigiani fortune stemmed from trade and their political power was gained through allegiance to the Medici. Their coat of arms, seen on the first console, is represented by a stone tower which is surmounted by three gold stars. The del Nero family, barons of Porcigliano, were closely tied to papal power; their coat-of-arms emphasising their prominent links to the church – as seen on the present console, the heraldry of a dog and red collar is accompanied by the letters S.P.Q.R. (Senatus Populus Que Romanus), markedly affirming the close alliance to the Pontifical State.
The newlyweds lived in one wing of the vast Torrigiani Palace of Porta Rossa in Via Romana, which had been acquired by Luca Torrigiani in 1559, and remained a permanent family residence until the end of the Torrigiani line. It is highly likely that the unique pair of marriage console tables decorated this magnificent palatial home.
The commission of the consoles can be easily identified through the aforementioned coat-of-arms and the documented year of Torrigiani and del Nero’s marriage allows for a precise date of execution. With their late 17th century dating these tables emerge as a rare example of the fashion for marital furniture – a taste epitomised by cassoni, marriage chests regularly produced bearing the arms of two families. Precursors of the 18th century trend, this intricately carved pair display exuberant flourishes of foliate decoration and inventive and ornate figural centrepieces, typical of the late 17th century Italian Baroque. More specifically, their execution bares the stylistic influence of Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652-1725), the Florentine designer and sculptor who was under the employment of the Medici, leading the Court workshop from 1695. Foggini’s designs and models are preserved in the illustrations of the Giornale (Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe, Uffizi Gallery, Florence) in which one can observe the similar opulent aesthetic and scaled execution that is present in the marriage consul tables.
It is highly likely that both families would have commissioned furniture from a Florentine workshop, especially the Torrigiani given their close alliance to the Medici. Equally, the carvings on these consoles warrant comparison with the monumental alcove designed by Foggini for Gran Principe Ferdinando de Medici at Palazzo Pitti: the two share several classical design elements—leaves, cartouches, and masks— that afford the respective works a sense of narrative drama.
The marriage between Giovanni Vincenzo Torrigiani (son of senator Carlo and Camilla Strozzi), and Teresa del Nero (daughter of Luigi Maria del Nero and Anna Maria Borbon del Monte) took place in Florence in 1692. A prominent and affluent 16th century family, the Torrigiani fortune stemmed from trade and their political power was gained through allegiance to the Medici. Their coat of arms, seen on the first console, is represented by a stone tower which is surmounted by three gold stars. The del Nero family, barons of Porcigliano, were closely tied to papal power; their coat-of-arms emphasising their prominent links to the church – as seen on the present console, the heraldry of a dog and red collar is accompanied by the letters S.P.Q.R. (Senatus Populus Que Romanus), markedly affirming the close alliance to the Pontifical State.
The newlyweds lived in one wing of the vast Torrigiani Palace of Porta Rossa in Via Romana, which had been acquired by Luca Torrigiani in 1559, and remained a permanent family residence until the end of the Torrigiani line. It is highly likely that the unique pair of marriage console tables decorated this magnificent palatial home.
The commission of the consoles can be easily identified through the aforementioned coat-of-arms and the documented year of Torrigiani and del Nero’s marriage allows for a precise date of execution. With their late 17th century dating these tables emerge as a rare example of the fashion for marital furniture – a taste epitomised by cassoni, marriage chests regularly produced bearing the arms of two families. Precursors of the 18th century trend, this intricately carved pair display exuberant flourishes of foliate decoration and inventive and ornate figural centrepieces, typical of the late 17th century Italian Baroque. More specifically, their execution bares the stylistic influence of Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652-1725), the Florentine designer and sculptor who was under the employment of the Medici, leading the Court workshop from 1695. Foggini’s designs and models are preserved in the illustrations of the Giornale (Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe, Uffizi Gallery, Florence) in which one can observe the similar opulent aesthetic and scaled execution that is present in the marriage consul tables.
It is highly likely that both families would have commissioned furniture from a Florentine workshop, especially the Torrigiani given their close alliance to the Medici. Equally, the carvings on these consoles warrant comparison with the monumental alcove designed by Foggini for Gran Principe Ferdinando de Medici at Palazzo Pitti: the two share several classical design elements—leaves, cartouches, and masks— that afford the respective works a sense of narrative drama.