Beautiful Lombard double body veneered in walnut burl, unique in its kind for several factors: the contained dimensions, the large mirrors that make up almost the entire upper part of the furniture and the large ebonized surfaces, these are the most obvious characteristics.
The lower part of the furniture has a wavy/broken projecting line and consists of three drawers, architectural uprights with a diagonally veneered reserve with alternating light and dark woods. Immediately above the drawers is a characteristic molded band entirely ebonized, unusual but often found in a small "family" of Lombard furniture. The flap, veneered in walnut herringbone pattern, is characterized by a frame with a broken molded line and decorated with a walnut burl cord, this is another rare element to find. Inside we find 8 drawers, 4 larger in the center and 4 smaller on the sides and inserted in two very characteristic small castles that recall some Emilian furniture. The top, in burl, hides a secret compartment.
Moving to the upper part of the furniture, two herringbone veneered doors completely open the front, have a very thin perimeter thus giving a lot of space to the mirrors, this creates an effect of upward thrust of the entire furniture and overall visual lightening, to increase this effect is the complete absence of uprights. The trumeau ends at the top with a sober walnut burl top with a beautiful, and also here characteristic, frame with a prominent molding. Inside we find three drawers at the bottom and a division of open compartments.
Sides with burl veneers, and another unusual feature, a veneer in the lower panel that creates a sort of cross.
Dimensions: Cm 240 x 110 x 53.
COMMENT
This trumeau is of Lombard origin and it is possible to bring it closer, in our opinion, to a very precise and particular "family" of furniture, that of the "Veneroni". This is a group of furniture with very similar characteristics, such as: the large ebonized surfaces (some chests of drawers completely ebonized are known), strongly architectural uprights and feet, that particular molded band that in our furniture is placed between drawers and flap and again: the movement of the front, tripartite, with the convex central part.
The name "Veneroni furniture" seems to come from the Pavese architect Giovanni Antonio Veneroni (Pavia, 1683? - Stradella, 1749) who seems to have designed a chest of drawers completely ebonized. Unfortunately, the certain news that is known today is scarce.
The furniture with these characteristics is usually attributed geographically to an area of lower Lombardy that runs from Pavia to Lodi to Cremona, for this our trumeau perhaps one could also think of an area closer to Emilia such as Mantua because of the setting of the cabinet that is very reminiscent of certain furniture from Modena.
In conclusion, it seems legitimate to us to attribute our double body to the first quarter of the 18th century and to bring it closer to this "family of Veneroni furniture" or in any case to the Cremonese / Mantuan area, where there was certainly at least an influence, a contamination of furniture with characteristics similar to ours.
