18th Century Venetian Painted Armorial Cassapanca

18th Century Venetian Painted Armorial Cassapanca.

Dates: 1720.

Dimensions:

287.02cm high (113.00 inches high).
320.04cm wide (126.00 inches wide).
107.95cm deep (42.50 inches deep).

Description / Expertise:

A rare, petite, 18th century, Venetian, painted armorial, Cassapanca (chest-bench), measures 44½’ high, 49½“ long.

- Unusual small size, and characteristic of cassapanca’s found in Italian Palazzo’s from the Renaissance period with striking architectural trompe-l’oeil decoration and a ducal coat of arms incorporating pairs of dolphins.
- Striking statement and conversation piece, injecting gravitas into the period or contemporary interior.
- The escutcheon with ‘V’s’ and pairs of dolphins in diagonally opposite quarters. In heraldry the dolphin signifies swiftness, diligence, salvation, charity, and love. The ‘V’ could refer to the owner’s name.
- This cassapanca would have been in a public part of the Duke’s palazzo, possibly in the entrance or a processional room to remind guests of his status and provide a resting place while they waited to be admitted into a higher status interior.
- Museum conservation repairs, see images.

Provenance : Parisian collection.

Price

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance