Italian, Lombardo-Veneto
Chest of Drawers (Cassettone), 1725-1749
Pine and pear, inlaid with oak, rosewood, olive, and yew, 99 x 141.1 x 70.2 cm (39 x 55 9/16 x 27 5/8 in.)
This chest of drawers from Italy is made of pine and pear wood and is inlaid with decorations of oak, rosewood, olive, and yew wood. The chest has three drawers and the facade is divided into decorated segments. In the center there are three wide, horizontal, oval-shaped cartouches. The top cartouche has two figures who are sitting opposite each other. In the middle cartouche, a man holding a sword appears about to strike a man wearing a crown. The bottom cartouche shows two men standing next to each other. The man on our right has his arms extended towards the man on our left. All the figures are clothed in brown garments and have white, inlaid skin. On either side of the central cartouches, the chest slants outward and contains identical designs on all the drawers. Scrolling thin, white vines of not yet blooming flowers weave around the ornate metal drawer knobs, which are two to a drawer. On both sides of the two drawer knobs on each of the three drawers are cartouches with a single, seated winged figure. The two, flat sides of the chest have a single central decoration of a large diamond with a woman lying on a bench. She is wearing a brown dress and has white, inlaid skin. The top of the chest is decorated with the same flowers and vines that are circling the drawer knobs. The central cartouche consists of four figures, split into pairs on opposite sides of the cartouche. They are all looking at a sword in between them, pointing at it. There are four other cartouches in the corners of the top of the chest, the one on our lower right depicts a woman hammering a nail into a man’s head.
Pine and pear, inlaid with oak, rosewood, olive, and yew, 99 x 141.1 x 70.2 cm (39 x 55 9/16 x 27 5/8 in.)