FIVE NORTH ITALIAN OCHRE-PAINTED AND PARCEL-GILT DOORS

Rarely do such impressive framed doors with painted over-door panels come to auction, their quality a testament to the refinement of 18th-century Italian interiors.
Doors, frames and panelling that have been removed from their original setting are invariably changed and adapted for each of their new settings. The present examples have remained in their original state with only the addition of mirror plates to the reverse of some, although differences in the treatment of the carving between the individual doors and frames suggest they are from at least two 18th-century rooms from within the same North Italian palazzo.
A carved giltwood over-door frame, inset with a Chinese painted panel, in the Fondazione Accorsi-Ometto, Turin has identical carving to the over-door frames as the pair in the present lot (G. Angela, Un inventario per l'esotismo Villa della Regina 1755, Turin, 1988, no. 28). Further rooms within the historic palazzo are adorned with lacquered and carved giltwood doors and frames of the same design. Some over-doors are inset with painted maritime themed pictures that appear to be from the same group as the present lot. The Accorsi-Ometto examples come from the Palazzo Turinetti di Priero in Piazzo San Carlo, Turin and the maritime painted panels are by Paolo Maria Antoniani. These doors were removed during the Second World War when the inside of the Palazzo was badly damaged and it is probable that the present doors were also originally from the Palazzo Turinetti di Priero.

Pre-Lot Text

Pietro Accorsi (1891-1982) was one of the most renowned antique dealers of the 20th Century in Italy. He assisted in the assembly of this collection for Mr. Piaggio's luxurious interiors, demonstrated by a group of pieces bearing his trade label with the address of his shop ‘via Po. 55, Torino’.
Accorsi was well-respected within the European art world as a trend setter and was advisor and dealer to numerous prestigious collectors and institutions. His visionary nature led him to become the key negotiator in the preservation of many important Italian collections, including several in Genoa. Upon his death in 1982, Accorsi bequeathed his personal collection to the city of Turin, which now forms the city’s decorative arts museum, Fondazione Accorsi-Ometto.
As a result of Accorsi’s passion for his native decorative arts, and his in-depth knowledge of the region’s distinct identities, it is not surprising to find that he helped source predominantly Genoese pieces when advising for Genoese collections. Due to its close proximity to France, Genoese craftsmen were particularly influenced by their counterparts in Paris, often veneering their furniture in exotic woods such as tulipwood, kingwood and rosewood and adhering closely to rococo and then neoclassical principles. Furthermore, as the city was a thriving port, craftsmen were able to source these exotic timbers with relative ease. Both French and Genoese furniture, emulating the principles of French style and craft, appear with Accorsi’s label in this collection.