19TH CENTURY

Details

AN ITALIAN PARCEL-GILT WALNUT CASSONE
19TH CENTURY
The rectangular hinged top carved with acanthus and scales, enclosing an interior lined with patterned green silk, the body carved with a frieze depicting shells and masks, above coat-of-arms flanked by mythological figures, the angles carved with female figures issuing from acanthus, the sides conformingly decorated with mythological animals, on paw feet, with a paper label printed 'CASTELLO DI MONSELICE' numbered '3132'; lacking one front foot
14 in. (35.5 cm.) high; 33 in. (84 cm.) wide; 12 in. (30 cm.) deep

Provenance

Castello di Monselice, near Padova.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Since 1405, after the conquest of Monselice by the Venetian Serenissima Republic, the Castle was acquired by the aristocratic Venetian family Marcello, who undertook the construction of Ca' Marcello in the Venetian-gothic style.
Following the fall of the Serenissima Republic at the end of the eighteenth century, the property of the buildings passed on to other local aristocratic families, among which the rich family Girardi-Cini. In 1935 the property of the decaying structure passed by inheritance to Count Vittorio Cini who re-created a place that would reflect the past. The rooms were enriched with authentic furniture in Gothic and Renaissance style, and an extensive collection of weapons was set up in the Armoury.
In 1981 the Castle of Monselice became a property of the Veneto region and has since then been transformed into a muuseum.

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