Table cabinet
Category
Furniture
Date
1670 - 1690
Materials
Ebony, satinwood, jasper, lapis lazuli, marble, brass, oak and deal construction
Measurements
145 x 108 x 43 cm
Place of origin
Rome
Order this imageCollection
Stourhead, Wiltshire
NT 731578
Summary
An ebony and satinwood pietre dure breakfront cabinet on an associated later ebony and satinwood stand, the cabinet Roman, late 17th century, the stand probably English, mid 19th century. The cabinet with a central section with an arcaded architectural pediment and recess which as a whole incorporates three drawers, flanked by five drawers to each side with applied panels of lapis lazuli and jasper, marbles and agates. The breakfront stand with marble inlaid applied frieze panels raised on square section tapering blocked legs and brass feet.
Full description
This cabinet forms part of a group of Roman 17th century pietra dura inlaid cabinets which combine semi precious stone, marbles, agates and ormolu, often laid on an ebony ground. Archaeological discoveries in the 16th century fired an enthusiasm for all things Antique. Rome became a magnet for discerning collectors and antique marbles began to be employed on works of art throughout Italy. The desire to emulate the art of Ancient Rome was strong and the cabinet makers masters of their craft. There were large numbers of skilled craftsmen in 17th century Rome, many of whom were Lombard in origin, although the attribution to specific makers for these cabinets still remains difficult. The Roman taste in pietre dure inlaid works differed from that which was predominant in Florence and other centres in Italy in that it was dominated by abstract geometrical compositions in transparent stones such as jasper, rather than naturalistic or figurative motifs such as flowers and birds with the intrinsic decoration being in the natural decorative effect of the stone itself. There is another similar example (NT731577) at Stourhead, which was brought from York Street, St. James Square, under the will of Sir Henry Hugh Hoare, Bart. Left as an heirloom, 'To go to the several persons to whom my estates in the counties of Bucks and Beds are devised, subject nevertheless to the necessary wear and tear of perishable articles.' Will dated 27th April 1839. It is unclear how this cabinet arrived at Stourhead, it may have been from the same source or may have been brought back from the Grand Tours of Henry Hoare II or Sir Richard Colt Hoare. For further discussion on Italian pietre dure cabinets see: Jervis, Simon & Dodd, Dudley ‘Roman spendour, English arcadia : the English taste for pietre dure and the Sixtus cabinet at Stourhead’ London : Philip Wilson Publishers, [2015] Giusti, Anna Maria , 'Pietre Dure', London, 1992 González-Palacios, Alvar 'Il Tempio del Gusto, Roma e il Regno delle Due Sicilie' Vol. II, Milan 1984 James Weedon (January 2018)
Provenance
Unknown
References
Jervis and Dodd 2015 Simon Swynfen Jervis and Dudley Dodd, Roman Splendour, English Arcadia: the English taste for pietre dure and the Sixtus Cabinet at Stourhead, 2015 Giusti, Anna Maria , 'Pietre Dure', London, 1992