Richly carved chair

Italian manufacture (Tuscany, or Venetian)

Renaissance style, 18th century

Solid carved walnut

Cm. Height 120 cm., Seat 51 cm.

Walnut stool chair, made in Italy in Renaissance style, sculpted in the 18th century, with fully sculpted legs and backrest.

The openwork back, richly carved with typical Renaissance motifs such as scrolls, leaves, masks, herms, and zoomorphic figures, is surmounted by a grotesque mask over a leaf frieze supported on the sides by two mythical creatures with lion feet. Support also richly carved on the front. Back and support are centered by a noble coat of arms engraved with the classic three-pointed lily.

 

This form of chair, known precisely as a stool, originated in Renaissance Italy and its popularity spread throughout Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Made in large quantities for the houses of the nobility, positioned along the walls of the halls or the portego, a large reception hall, bright and richly furnished to show guests the wealth of the family.

Our specimen, well made in the 18th century, may have been commissioned at a later date, presumably to replace a damaged one.

Some examples:

Condition: good, normal wear consistent with age and use. Restorations and replacements (posterior support)