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EXTRAORDINARY EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY VENETIAN PAINTED TRUMEAU
Exceptional "Trumeau" or chest of drawers with drop-front and raised section, in poplar wood and various other woods, entirely painted, gilded and lacquered "a mecca". The "drop-front" or flap originally had the function of a writing desk. Generally, the raised section contained porcelains and silverware, of particular value and for collecting. This piece of furniture, of highly refined workmanship, belongs, from a formal point of view, to an era, the eighteenth century, of which it will historically be the undisputed protagonist. Here the curvilinear forms, although evident, tend to attenuate, underlined by the marvelous "faux marble" decoration, made "a mecca" on various shades of grey and enriched by gilded frames and delicately carved friezes with leaves and flowers.
Opening the drop-front, almost as if to open a precious treasure chest, we admire a particular decoration, also in faux marble, in shades of orange to delicately nuanced light grey. Gilded frames elegantly complete the ensemble, adorning the four drawers of the beautiful piece of furniture. According to tradition, which identified in the most refined and exquisitely crafted trumeaux the presence of "optional extras" intended to amaze, even in our piece of furniture we find several "secrets" both on the right and left sides and in the center. In addition, on the two external sides of the chest of drawers, there are, cleverly concealed and removable, two further secret doors of larger dimensions. The set of central drawers, also removable and called "scarabattolo", and the secret compartments, give this masterpiece of high cabinetmaking a "mysterious" aspect, ideally used to hide documents, love letters and exclusive "safe-deposit box" objects.
A truly unique piece of furniture of its kind and certainly the result of a rich private commission, enhanced by the precious central gilded crest and the two pinnacles also gilded a mecca with auspicious motifs.
The feet, typical of the early eighteenth century, are also extremely elegant and finely worked, with frames with sinuous lines underlined by painted friezes.
A truly "regal" piece of furniture, to be considered certainly very rare both for the mastery of workmanship and for the excellent state of conservation. According to the ancient tradition of trumeaux, this piece of furniture is also among the most sumptuous wooden artifacts ever seen in the history of Italian and European cabinetmaking. Venetian models, as is known, being among the most sought after and precious, true "must-haves" and "status symbols" for refined collectors and lovers of beauty.
Brief historical notes
"Trumeau" is a French term which, in Gothic architecture, indicates the central pillar of a portal, originally designating the wall space between two windows and, from the 18th century onwards, the mirror hanging in the corresponding space. From this meaning the term then goes on to define a very important and absolutely sumptuous piece of furniture, most famous above all in the eighteenth century in the Venetian, Milanese, Genoese, Marche and Roman areas. In the same period in France, some will also be made in Paris, to characterize noble palaces and residences.
The artifact consists of a chest of drawers with a drop-front and a raised section above, closed by two doors, with a folding top inside which there are niches, drawers and, as we have seen in our case and only in the most refined models, also secret compartments of various sizes and types.
The very original piece of furniture is therefore formed by two distinct bodies, separated from each other by a flap, constituting a harmonious union between pieces of furniture initially intended for different functions. It is likely that the eighteenth-century trumeaux, whose sole presence is enough to furnish a room in an elegant and unforgettable way, were born precisely from the two-body wardrobes of earlier times, therefore seventeenth-century, structurally inspired by them to transform into a precious and sought-after antique object capable of enchanting lovers of antique furniture all over the world.
Italy - Venice: early eighteenth century
MASTERPIECE OF VENETIAN MASTER CABINET MAKERS OF ABSOLUTE MUSEUM VALUE
Measurements: height cm. 249 depth cm. 59 (with drop-front open cm. 80) width cm. 121
