ORIGINAL ITALIAN 1890 RENAISSANCE DINNING SET

DINNING CHAIR

Bottom of Form 2It is unusual to find a set of six matching dining chairs in Europe, where sets typically come as four or eight. Therefore, we suspect that these six were originally part of a set of eight whose other two members have been lost along the way. Even at six, it is rare to find them intact and in such good shape. Their stylistic origins lie in the north of Italy at the end of the sixteenth century when the original design would have been for a narrow armchair in a basic rectangular shape with a broad front stretcher (as seen in the Museum of Sforza Castle in Milan). As a down-sizing of the classic chaise cathèdre or bishop's chair that morphed into a dignitary's chair, the tall back remains a symbol of authority, topped by finials in the form of acanthus leaves. The acanthus leaf, that decorative symbol of choice since Roman times, appears again in a paired design for the front feet of the chairs. The front stretcher is wide and curved with a central, hand-carved circular floral motif common in Renaissance furniture, particularly the central image of cabinet doors. These chairs have the original leather, color of this one is beautiful.

As dining chairs, these are comfortable and sturdy for regular use in a kitchen or a formal dining room.


DINING TABLE

Bottom of Form 2This richly sculpted Italian dining table easily sits six, possibly even eight persons in comfort. Its broad expanse ensures ample room for table settings plus candelabra, centerpieces and whatever else lends itself to an elegant dining experience reminiscent of that romantic interlude in Tuscany. Ideal as it is for dining, it also embraces perfectly the recent trend where executives opt for a table and credenza in their office rather than a desk in the traditional sense. Its origins are in the Renaissance Tuscan tables of the sixteenth century called a vaso for the curving, vase-shaped design of the verticals connecting the stretcher and supporting a broad top. Ultimately, the a vaso design stemmed from the largest but simplest of 15th century tables, the refectory table used in monasteries. The highly decorative designs embodying the a vaso table became popular a century later when wood became more scarce and so tables were lighter with more emphasis on refined motifs such as the scroll, rosette, and palmette border. The four large feet are beautiful, intricately carved and in deep relief, compared to the surrounding design of circlet and graceful, curving acanthus leaves. We hesitate to call the technique “veneer” because it is far thicker than the paper-thin sheets that pass for veneer in today’s furniture manufacture, and is found only where the horizontal and vertical surfaces are unadorned. Like solid wood, it boasts a warm and pleasing patina.

As mentioned above, we find more and more folks opting for antique tables and cabinets in an office instead of a traditional desk with drawers. But this table was designed with dining in mind and would still serve well in that capacity, or as a library table.

Antiquités et Objets D’Art 10, Le Mobilier Italien (Editions Fabri, Paris, 1990); Costantino Fioratti, Helen, Il Mobile Italiano (Giunti Editore, Firenze-Milano, 2004); Rousseau, Francis, Le Grand Livre des Meubles (Copyright Studio, Paris, 1999) Ader-Tajan, Collection Bruno Perrier Haute Epoque (Catalog for Sale at Auction on April 6, 1992 at the Hôtel Drouot, Paris);


Condition: Very good

Year: 1890

Country: Italy

Style: Renaissance

Materials: Oak

Dimensions: W82(extendable to +- W1400) x D50 x H30

Other: Rare original leather on the chair

Antique Furniture
Antique Tables & Dining Sets