An Italian Baroque reverse-painted verre églomisé and tortoiseshell-inlaid parcel-gilt ebonized cabinet on stand

An Italian Baroque reverse-painted verre églomisé and tortoiseshell-inlaid parcel-gilt ebonized cabinet on stand
mid-17th century, Naples. photo courtesy Sotheby's

height 78 in.; width 72 1/2 in.; depth 20 in. Estimate 40,000—60,000 USD. Lot Sold 43,750 USD

NOTE: Similar ebony and ebonized cabinets decorated with tortoiseshell and painted glass panels depicting Biblical and mythological scenes can be found in some of the most prestigious European collections such as the collection of the Marquess de Campo-Franco in Palma de Mallorca, the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, in the Palazzo Barberini in Rome and in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Although a number of such cabinets are in, or originated from, Spanish collections, they were traditionally made in South Italy. Throughout the seventeenth century Naples had particularly strong ties with Spain as the former was part of the Spanish Empire and thus artistic influences from the Iberian peninsula were extremely strong. Italian descriptions of comparable pieces can also be found in the archives of the Prince of Avellino, the Duke of Calabritti and the Cardinal Caraffa, see Alvar González-Palacios, Il tempio del Gusto, Vol. II. Milan, 1986, pp. 222-224. Cabinets with such lavish decoration were also popular with Grand Tourists and many were exported to England and other parts of Northern Europe. One of the earliest examples of such piece is that purchased by Sir Thomas Isham, who returned to his family home in Northamptonshire in 1676 with a painted-glass-mounted cabinet he had acquired in Naples. Comparable pieces sold Sotheby's London, May 18, 1984, lot 54, Sotheby's London, November 30, 1990, lot 45, Christie's, Ca'n Puig y Castillo de Brednat, Mallorca, May 24-25, 1999, lot 237 and Sotheby's Amsterdam, June 22, 2004, lot 36. Another related cabinet attributed to the monogramist VBL was sold Sotheby's London, April 27, 2010, lot 24.

Sotheby's. Fine European Furniture. 01 Oct 10. New York www.sothebys.com