Two Pairs of Baroque Carved Armchairs, Italy, Venice, c. 1680
Reset

Two Pairs of Baroque Carved Armchairs

Two Pairs of Baroque Carved Armchairs

Walnut
Italy, Venice, c. 1680

Dimensions

Height
120.5 cm; 3 ft. 11½ in.
Width
72 cm; 2 ft. 4½ in.
Depth
68 cm; 2 ft. 2¾ in.

Provenance

Counts of Bossi Azzatesi, Castello di Azzate, Varese
With Pelham Galleries, Paris
Private collection, London

Related literature

C. E. Rava, Storia del Mobile – La Sedia (Görlich, Milano, 1964), p. 55, pl. 144
E. Colle, Museo d’Arti Applicate – Mobili e intaglio lignei (Electa, Milano, 1996), p. 230, pl. 338

The rectangular backs and seats upholstered in red damask silk and supported on square rope-twist uprights, legs and armrests, embellished at both ends of the armrests, the mid-stretchers and the feet with finely carved acanthus leaves.

The overall form of these rare and elegant museum quality armchairs is inspired by Franco-Flemish models of the baroque period, but the distinctively stylized rope-twist moulding and exuberant acanthus carving betray an unmistakable Venetian flourish.

A similar, though probably earlier and slightly less refined, single chair may be found in the Museo Civico delle Arti Decorative, Castello Sforzesco, Milan. This chair is illustrated in Rava (op.cit.) and Colle (op.cit) (reproduced above).

We have two identical pairs of armchairs. They may be purchased as separate pairs or as a set of four.