PAIR OF CHESTS WITH BACKREST
carved wood with polychrome decoration
This precious pair of chests beautifully represents the style of furniture typical of the Italian region of Marche, revealing a decoration that, while retaining the imprint of the late Baroque period, evolves towards a sense of rigour and measure that already foreshadow the Neoclassical taste.
The shaped backrest of each chest is a triumph of elegance: the richly moulded side volutes, adorned with delicate foliate motifs, frame exquisitely painted oval medallions at their centre. Here, the allegorical depictions of Painting – a young woman with a brush and palette – and Architecture – a maiden holding a compass – come to life, appearing illusively suspended on a shelf. The art of trompe-l’oeil subtly manifests itself in the garlands that enrich the backrest, as well as in the sober painted cartouches that delicately animate the fronts, adding depth and peculiarity.
The lower part of each chest features a framed and illusively recessed front panel, bordered by a band of colour that accentuates its shape and perspective.
The symmetry and harmony between the two pieces are evident: this pair was masterfully crafted to be precisely placed between the pairs of columns in the ground floor gallery of the prestigious Villa Pianetti di Sant’Ubaldo in Monsano, near Jesi. Their original location was immortalized in at least three publications between the 1960s and 1970s, demonstrating their historical and artistic importance.
Marche, end of the 17th century
cm 144x220x50
Publications:
“Una villa marchigiana: Sant’Ubaldo”, in Antichità viva, 1964, III, 5, pp. 64-65, figg. 8-9.
“Il mobile regionale italiano”, edited by Vinicio Mannelli, Edam, Florence, 1964, n.136, fig. 139.
“Il mobile marchigiano”, edited by Maddalena Trionfi Honorati, Gorlich,Milan, 1971.
