Important Louis XV Venetian Trumeau Mid-Eighteenth Century

About the Item

Important and imposing Louis XV Venetian overmantel moved on all sides attributable to the mid-18th century entirely veneered in briar walnut, walnut, inlaid with light wood (maple, fruitwood, boxwood), original mercury glass, finely gilded bronze applications chiseled. Origin: Italy - Venetian manufacturing (Verona region) Period: mid-18th century Dimensions: height 333 cm x length 161 cm x depth 70 cm. The design of the cabinet is structured around the two bodies, the bottom marked by three large drawers plus a calatoia, and the top with glass doors concealing the shelves. The lower body is moved both to the front and to the sides and is composed of an elegant slab of calatoia entirely in walnut briar and centered by an artistic gilt bronze nozzle with original key. The soft, sinuous uprights frame it and slope down until they meet the wide stepped base with support legs. Three long and wide drawers punctuate the rest of the lower part and are arranged on three levels also centered by artistic vents in finely chiseled bronze. They are interspersed with the elegant presence of semi-circular moldings in darker walnut wood. The sides are characterized by the presence of considerable reserves and very fine threads to mark the strong graphic connotation of the trumeau. By accompanying you in the opening of the calatoia, we notice the great skill of the craftsmen in the arrangement of the heather leaves aimed at creating subtle and refined geometries. We are shown four small drawers of a beautiful curvilinear shape centered by small circular knobs in gilded bronze. In the center of the room is a small gendarme's hat niche embellished by the presence of an admirable inlay representing a shrub with vegetation. Continuing with the gaze upwards we see two large original mercury glass doors with grinding concealing four shelves within, the lowest slightly higher than the three above. Finally, the intriguing design of the wooden headdress crowned by a tangle of leaves culminating with a glass plate engraved with mercury representing a scene of gallantry, this last recurring theme of Rococo, is extraordinarily emotional. Just below the cymatium is an inlay depicting the Habsburg imperial coat of arms, a double-headed crowned eagle with a double sword (symbolology borrowed from and related to the coat of arms and flag of the Holy Roman Empire). The trumeau in question seems to be a tribute to the walnut root that completely envelops the entire piece of furniture, adapting to its soft lines. We recall that one of the peculiarities of high Lombard-Venetian cabinetmaking of the 18th century, in addition to the use of briar leaves, is the graphic-chromatic alternation of darker solid wood frames (in other cases in blackened wood) that they are grafted with the dominant base, in this case the walnut root. Overall, the piece of furniture is of elegant and sumptuous proportions, in direct contact with the trends and influences of the style then in force in France, namely Louis XV, artificial, exuberant, triumphant. The trumeau was long considered the piece of furniture par excellence in the rich aristocratic residences of the European nobility of the 18th century and until a few years ago many specimens reached exorbitant figures. In good condition, with patina.

Dimensions:

Height: 131.11 in (333 cm)Width: 63.39 in (161 cm)Depth: 27.56 in (70 cm)

Style:

Louis XV (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Wood

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

Mid-18th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1700