Porphyry Cabinets

Extremely fine Italian baroque ebonized wood, faux ivory, and hardstone cabinet, Florence, 20th century. Decorated overall with Berainesque (light arabesques and playful grotesques) motifs including rinceaux, putti and mythical birds, and inlaid with various semi-precious stones including lapus lazuli, porphyry, various agates and marbles, the superstructure with domed pediment, the sides decorated with geometric stringing. Very grand cabinet and one of a kind. Please note: We have another cabinet to make a pair. Please see our other listings for the mate to this cabinet. Provenance: Private Castle in Dallas Texas, USA. Purchased in New York in the late 1970's. Measures: 91" high x 68" wide x 20" deep. Comes with keys. Good condition. Normal wear, cracks consistent with age use. Presents well and looks amazing in real life! The present cabinet, featuring an abundance of semi-precious stones amongst stylized faux ivory-inlaid foliage, is inspired by the luxurious inlaid furniture of the Italian High Renaissance. Promoted amongst craftsmen such as Pietro Bertinetti, who often reinterpreted or combined the forms and motifs of both classical and Renaissance art, the fashion for certosa-style inlay flourished from the mid-19th century. Whilst the quality of construction and execution of the inlay suggests a Florentine origin, the decorative language of the cabinet, with its Cinquecento rinceaux scrolls, amorini and cameos, is modelled on the North Italian workshops. Featuring an eclectic combination of various decorative elements in keeping with the Renaissance revival, the cabinet’s inlay is quite comparable with the work of subsequent exponents of this technique, such as Giovanni Battista Gatti...