Louis XVI secretaire, finely veneered and inlaid, Lombardy, last quarter of the 18th century.

Made of rosewood, boxwood, and rosewood. On the back, there is a label from the exhibition of Giuseppe Maggiolini's works at the Milan Museum 1938, no. 76, Property of Marchioness Anna Casati Visconti di San Vito. The particular band with confronted griffins constitutes a sort of signature of the cabinetmaker Gaspare Bassani, one of the most important emulators of Giuseppe Maggiolini, active in Milan at the end of the 18th century. The griffin motif is probably due to Giacomo Albertolli, a decorator of Swiss origin who provided Maggiolini and other cabinetmakers with numerous iconographic themes. Noteworthy is the particular inlay of the drop-leaf door with a Group of Dancers of clear archaeological Pompeian inspiration, which makes our secretaire a fine example of neoclassical taste. Width 82 cm, depth 36 cm, height 153 cm