Important Italian Baroque Commode Attributed Grand Ducal Workshops, c.1690–1720
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105 cmH × 157 cmW × 71 cmD
c. 1690-1720
Description
An important North Italian Tuscan Baroque commode, manufactured in Florence circa 1690–1720 and attributed to the Grand Ducal Workshops of the Medici court. Representing the highest level of Florentine cabinetmaking of the period, it is inlaid throughout with exceptionally fine ivory and pewter in the Venetian manner, fitted with finely cast ormolu handles based on designs by Giovanni Battista Foggini, and retains an original partially faded circular “LC” stamp to the underside.
Made for the wealthiest aristocratic and noble patrons by leading cabinetmakers and specialist craftsmen, the commode survives as an exceptional example of Florentine Baroque furniture. On the basis of its quality, rarity, construction, decoration and the comparative evidence identified during our research, we consider it among the most significant North Italian commodes of this period to appear on the market in recent years.
Of breakfront form with projecting canted corners, the rounded overhanging top is constructed in walnut with exceptional areas of richly figured burr walnut, framed by rosewood crossbanding, and centred with floral marquetry enclosed by inlaid borders. The same rosewood crossbanding continues around the sides, with further floral inlaid centrepieces set against walnut and burr walnut veneers.
Each drawer is individually decorated with floral ivory and pewter inlay and fitted with Foggini-designed ormolu handles and ormolu key escutcheons. The canted corners are inlaid from top to bottom with finely engraved dogs, hounds, birds and scrolling foliage, culminating in a lion within the frieze above each corner.
Rarity, Research & Attribution
We have undertaken extensive research into this commode, consulting leading Italian furniture specialists, international dealers, authors and historians, and comparing it with documented examples in museums, former Medici residences, private collections and the international art market.
One of its most unusual features is the ivory and pewter marquetry. Professor Enrico Colle documents related Florentine commodes in his published studies of Medici furniture, yet we have been unable to identify another Tuscan example with marquetry of precisely this character.
In consultation with a leading international specialist in Italian furniture, the closest comparison suggested for the inlay was the work associated with the mysterious Venetian cabinetmakers known as the “3Cs”. Their furniture is generally much more extensively inlaid, but similarities exist in the treatment of the decoration. Their furniture can also bear a circular brand incorporating three “C”s; however, published examples are associated with a noble coat of arms incorporating chequered eagles, while the present stamp appears instead to read “LC”. We therefore do not attribute this commode to the 3Cs; the comparison is important only as one of the closest parallels presently identified for the inlay.
Although Florentine in manufacture, the ivory and pewter decoration is executed in the Venetian manner, combining eastern flowing floral and foliate ornament with Western figurative subjects including lions, dogs, hounds and birds, reflecting Venice’s historic position as a major trading port between East and West.
A particularly significant comparison appears in Professor Colle’s work on the Palazzo Pitti, where a Grand Ducal Workshop commode has one of the closest related carcass forms identified during our research. Its bronze handles are also remarkably close to those on the present commode and relate to designs by Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652–1725), Grand Ducal Sculptor to the Medici court.
A further closely related commode survives at Villa La Quiete, another former Medici residence, and is associated with the same Florentine court workshop tradition. The closest documented comparisons presently identified therefore come from furniture connected with the Medici court and Grand Ducal Workshops.
The exceptional cabinetmaking, ivory and pewter inlay, burr walnut veneers, engraved decoration and Foggini-designed mounts indicate a commission of considerable importance, likely requiring several specialist craftsmen including a master cabinetmaker, inlayer, engravers and bronze workers.
On the balance of the evidence, we attribute the commode to the Grand Ducal Workshops or to a leading Florentine master workshop working directly within the Medici court sphere. The Palazzo Pitti and Villa La Quiete comparisons, Foggini-designed mounts, exceptional workmanship and unusual inlay strongly support this attribution. No surviving document has yet been identified directly linking this specific commode to a recorded Medici commission or named Grand Ducal cabinetmaker, so the attribution remains based on the strongest available comparative evidence rather than a conclusively documented workshop identification.
Research into the commode is continuing, as we believe its exceptional quality and unusual decoration warrant further investigation, with the aim of establishing its precise workshop and original commission should further documentary or comparative evidence come to light.
The Grand Ducal Workshops of Florence:
The Grand Ducal Workshops of Florence, known during the Medici period as the Galleria dei Lavori and later as the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, were established under Ferdinando I de’ Medici in 1588. Working under direct Grand Ducal patronage, they brought together some of Florence’s finest specialist craftsmen to produce exceptional works for the Medici family, the Grand Dukes of Tuscany and the most important European patrons.
Although the workshops are today most famous for their extraordinary pietre dure and hardstone work, their production was by no means limited to stone inlay. They were responsible for complete pieces of furniture and other highly sophisticated decorative objects, employing and coordinating specialist cabinetmakers, bronze workers, gilders, sculptors and other craftsmen. Surviving works at the Palazzo Pitti demonstrate this collaborative approach: the celebrated furniture produced under the direction of Giovanni Battista Foggini combines fine cabinetmaking with gilded bronze and precious materials, and documentary evidence records multiple specialist craftsmen working together on individual commissions.
These were not ordinary commercial workshops. Their finest pieces were effectively court commissions, conceived for the Grand Duke and the Medici family or as prestigious diplomatic gifts. As a result, furniture associated with the Grand Ducal Workshops represents some of the most ambitious and technically accomplished decorative art produced in Baroque Florence.
The enduring importance of these workshops is reflected in the status of their surviving masterpieces. The most famous example is the Badminton Cabinet, produced in Florence by the Grand Ducal Workshops in the 1720s–30s. It sold at Christie’s in 2004 for £19,045,250, breaking its own previous record and becoming the most expensive piece of furniture ever sold at auction.
It is within this rarefied tradition of Medici court craftsmanship that the present commode is attributed, which is central to both its historical significance and its exceptional rarity.
Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652–1725)
The sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini was born in Florence in 1652 and was later sent to Rome by Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici, where he studied under Ercole Ferrata.
On his return to Florence, Foggini became the leading Florentine sculptor, bringing with him the exuberant Baroque style that had developed in Rome. A gifted portrait artist and sculptor, he was appointed Grand Ducal Sculptor in 1687, giving him access to the foundry in the Borgo Pinti previously used by his celebrated predecessors Giambologna and Pietro Tacca.
His elaborate bronzes mark the transition from the intimate small-scale Renaissance bronze towards the larger, more decorative and theatrical works of the Baroque period. The dramatic movement, scrolling ornament and flowing forms associated with his designs became highly influential within Florentine decorative art of the period.
Reference Examles
- Venetian marquetry comparison: A Venetian bureau bookcase, circa 1740, in walnut and inlaid with ivory, sold at Christie’s in À Travers les Styles: A Private Collection of Silver, Paintings and Furniture, 2010, Lot 40, for €156,750.
- Palazzo Pitti Grand Ducal commode and Villa La Quiete commode: illustrated on pp. 236–237 in I Mobili di Palazzo Pitti: Il Periodo dei Medici, 1537–1737, edited by Enrico Colle, Umberto Allemandi & C.
Ivory Reference: HJ5J96CX
Dimensions:
- Height: 105 cm (41.34 in)
- Width: 157 cm (61.81 in)
- Depth: 71 cm (27.95 in)
(Please Note: this is a shortened description - please contact us for the full length description of this commode)
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£160,000.00
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