VENICE, MID-18TH CENTURY

This spectacular Venetian ribaltina with its rococo waved serpentine form is decorated throughout with blue lacca and contrasting delicate floral sprays and borders. It epitomizes the apogee of the 18th century Venetian production. Venice, with its extensive trading contacts with the East, was one of the first cities in Europe to produce imitations of oriental lacquer, and japanned transformable coiffeuses such as the offered example are among the most spectacular creations of Venetian cabinet-makers. Its bombé shape and curvaceous form is one of the key characteristics of Venetian mid-18th century furniture production. While lacquer wares in Venice differed from other European centers by often imitating oriental and Chinese lacquer, the depentori (craftsmen specialised in lacca decoration) decorated commodes, comodini, occasional tables and other wares with their own interpretations which often left little oriental influence to their production. Floral sprays against a ground colour (often turquoise as in this case) was one of the most favoured decorative schemes. It is interesting to note that the typology of this transformable secretaire is reminiscent of the Parisian production of the time, where tables d’accouchée were all the rage. In contrast to their rarer Venetian equivalents, French Louis XV models were usually veneered in exotic timbers and mounted with ormolu. The Parisian version of the table d’accouchée combines a writing table with its removable upper section serving as a bed table, and its introduction to the market coincides with the arrival of new forms of occasional tables, work tables, tables à ouvrages and bureau de dame.