Object details
Object number
F1n3
Creator(s)
Italian, Northern Italy
Title
Chest of Drawers (Cassettone)
Date
1700-1749
Medium
Painted pine
Dimensions
87 x 94 x 51.3 cm (34 1/4 x 37 x 20 3/16 in.)
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection at an unknown date.
Commentary
Composed of four drawers, this chest of drawers is set on feet carved with volutes and flowers at the center; the rear feet are simple brackets. It is framed by flat moldings. The drawer fronts are painted with landscapes, while the sides are painted with a sailing ship, and a galleon near the coast. The wave motif in the cornice supporting the top indicates that this piece was made in Northern Italy.
A cassettone of the same size and style, painted in a nearly identical manner, belonged to Carlo Gamba Ghiselli (1870-1963) of Florence. Given the highly specialized characteristics shared by the two chest, they are likely a pair.
Bibliography
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 17. (Italian, 19th century)
Fausto Calderai and Alan Chong. Furnishing a Museum: Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection of Italian Furniture (Boston, 2011), pp. 62-63, no. 12.
Gallery
Yellow Room
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