Lot 258 , A 17th/18th century Italian and later pietra dura and ebony veneered cabinet on an ebonised wood stand, W.4ft 2in. D.1ft 7in. H.4ft 6.5

A 17th/18th century Italian and later pietra dura and ebony veneered cabinet on an ebonised wood stand, the cabinet with an arrangement of ten drawers each inset with Florentine hardstone panels depicting birds and flowers around a central door decorated with a melon and butterfly, enclosing four ebony fronted drawers, on an ebonised pear wood? and yew wood, the single frieze drawer with oak linings, W.4ft 2in. D.1ft 7in. H.4ft 6.5in., restorations
Estimate £3,000-5,000

The panels were produced in the Grand Ducal workshop in Florence (originally named the Galleria dei Lavori), founded in 1588 by the Grand Duke Ferdinand I de Medici.

cf. John Evelyn's cabinet in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, museum no. W.24-1977. The cabinet contains similar bird and flower pietre dure (hardstone) panels, which Evelyn purchased in Florence from their maker, Domenico Benotti in 1644.

cf. Christie's, London, European Noble & Private Collections Including Fine Tapestries sale, 2 October 2013, Lot 271 for similar pietra dura bird panels. The catalogue states that comparable plaques can be found in cabinets crafted in Augsburg in the second half of the 17th century. For example in the collection of the Weimar Residenzschlosse and the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin (both illustrated in R. Both & G.-D. Ulferts, Möbel Urhen Relifintarsien, Berlin 2001, pp. 92-99).





Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions of Sale.

Sold for £19,000