This finely crafted commode, with its jewel-like rosettes and restrained neoclassical inlay, is a rare example of a signed piece of Italian furniture from the 18th Century.
Although little known, Giuseppe Viglione appears in the documents of the Royal court of Savoy relating to several payments from 1786-1797 for furniture supplied to a number of Royal residences including the Castello di Rivoli. One intriguing payment made in 1789 is for '3 burò' (but actually describing commodes) 'placati di bosco rosa e violetto' (rosewood and kingwood) 'con tre tirori' (with three drawers, as on this commode)-- see G. Ferraris, Pietro Piffetti e gli Ebanisti a Torino 1670-1838, Turin, 1992, pp. 249-251.
The furniture of Piedmont, due its close geographical and historical proximity, is closest in spirit to the furniture of France, and this richly veneered demilune commode is a good example of the French influence on Turinese furniture. Other related Turinese demilune commodes are illustrated in E. Quaglino, Il Mobile Piemontese, 1966, pp. 155 and 158 and V. Viale ed., Il Mostro Barocco Piemontese, Turin, 1963, fig. 216, while further related straight-fronted examples were sold from the collection of the famous Turin dealer Giuseppe Rossi; Sotheby's, London, 10 March 1999, lots 62 and 63.