A set of ten Italian chinoiserie red lacquered and parcel-gilt chairs, Venetian, second quarter 18th century
A set of ten Italian chinoiserie red lacquered and parcel-gilt chairs, Venetian, second quarter 18th century. Estimate £20,000 — 30,000 / €27,894 - 41,841. Photo Sotheby's
ach with an arched rectangular pierced back with stylised shell motif above a baluster splat decorated with a chinoiserie figure with a parasol above chrysanthemums and swans, drop-in later leather upholstered seat on cabriole legs with a stylised scallopshell on the knees joined by a H-form turned and block stretcher with a rear stretcher on pad front feet; some minor losses to lacquer decoration; all with the ink inscribed label'Salone Verde/5 Principessa' one with the printed paper label 'Principe di Piombino'
Provenance: Principe and Principessa di Piombino, Salone Verde.
The principality of Piombino was a small state on the Italian Peninsula centred on the city of Piombino including part of the island of Elba. Napoleon’s sister Elisa Bonaparte was a Princess of Lucca and Piombino. Due to the above, a Provenance from Lucca should not be discounted.
Comparative Literature: Elisabetta Barbolini Ferrari, Mobili Dipinti, Tempera, Lacca ed Arte Povera nelle botteghe italiane dal XVII al XVIII secolo, Modena, 2004, p. 146, for a pair of Venetian armchairs of similar form with chinoiserie decoration.
William M. Odom, A History of Italian Furniture, Vol. II, New York, 1966, p. 207, for a related painted Venetian chair decorated with chinoiseries.
Sotheby's. A Tale of Two Cities: Venice and Dresden Two Private Collections, London, 09 Jun 2015, 10:30 AM