A NORTH ITALIAN BLUE LACCA, POLYCHROME-DECORATED AND PARCEL-GILT BOMBE TRANSFORMABLE RIBALTINA
A NORTH ITALIAN BLUE LACCA, POLYCHROME-DECORATED AND PARCEL-GILT BOMBE TRANSFORMABLE RIBALTINA
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This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal.… Read more PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
A NORTH ITALIAN BLUE LACCA, POLYCHROME-DECORATED AND PARCEL-GILT BOMBE TRANSFORMABLE RIBALTINA

VENICE, MID-18TH CENTURY

Details
A NORTH ITALIAN BLUE LACCA, POLYCHROME-DECORATED AND PARCEL-GILT BOMBE TRANSFORMABLE RIBALTINA
VENICE, MID-18TH CENTURY
Decorated overall with gilt rocaille motifs, polychrome-painted flowerheads and scrolling foliage, the removable upper section with hinged fall-front with a mirror to the back and revealing a fitted interior, the lower section with a chinoiserie cartouche to the top, above two revolving drawers, on cabriole legs, with old inventory label '8130'
37 ¼ in. (94.5 cm.) high; 26 in. (66 cm.) wide; 16.5 in. (42 cm.)
Provenance
Semenzato, Venice, 16-17 May 2009, where purchased by the present vendor.
Special notice
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.

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Paul Gallois
Paul Gallois

Lot Essay

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.

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