Antiques, Decorative and Fine Arts Auction
Lot 212:
Pair of 18th c. signed marquetry Bombe Commodes, Possibly from the Workshop of Giuseppe Maggiolini
Description
Pair of Lombard Bombe Commodes, Dated 1776 — Possibly from the Workshop of Giuseppe Maggiolini (Parabiago 1738–1814)
Meda (Lombardy), 1776
Walnut and walnut-burl veneer with fruitwood stringing; serpentine front and sides; three long drawers with original brass handles; resting on cabriole legs.
Each: approx. 87 cm H × 127 cm W × 58 cm D (34¼ × 50 × 23 in.)
Provenance: Castello Ferrari, Pieve del Cairo (Lomellina). Castello Ferrari is traditionally associated with Napoleon’s stay during the negotiations preceding the Treaty of Milan (1796)
Description
A superb matched pair of late Rococo Lombard commodes of bombe outline, veneered in richly figured walnut burl with finely drawn fruitwood banding and carved aprons. The commodes display the restrained elegance characteristic of northern Italian craftsmanship in the decade preceding the full emergence of Neoclassicism. The sinuous façade and sculpted legs recall French Louis XV prototypes, yet the geometry of the veneers and the disciplined contour anticipate the early work of Giuseppe Maggiolini and his contemporaries active in Meda and Parabiago.
Each commode retains its original carcass and drawer construction in poplar and chestnut, with traditional dovetail joinery and secondary woods typical of Lombard workshops. Beneath the drawers, both pieces preserve a series of contemporary inscriptions in iron-gall ink: one reading “Meda si fabrica questi como al prezio di Liran…” (translated, “In Meda these commodes are made at the price of lire…”), another precisely dated “1776 adi 9 maggio.” One of the frames additionally bears a branded monogram mark, likely a workshop cipher used for internal identification.
Importance and Attribution
The combination of inscriptions, branded mark, and stylistic coherence situates these commodes within the sophisticated cabinetmaking tradition of Meda, the principal furniture-making center of Lombardy in the 18th century. Their date of 1776 corresponds exactly to the period when Giuseppe Maggiolini—later appointed cabinetmaker to the Austrian court in Milan—was producing veneered and inlaid furnishings for the Lombard aristocracy.
While Maggiolini’s mature neoclassical pieces are celebrated for their elaborate pictorial marquetry, his earlier work and that of his immediate circle often employed simpler burr-walnut veneers with subtle stringing, emphasizing form and material quality over ornament. The present pair, with their impeccable joinery, balanced proportions, and documentary inscriptions, belong unmistakably to that early Meda–Parabiago milieu and may plausibly have originated in, or under the supervision of, Maggiolini’s workshop.
Such fully documented dated examples of Lombard craftsmanship are exceedingly rare. Together with their provenance from Castello Ferrari, these commodes provide tangible evidence of the refined production that flourished in northern Italy during the final years of Lombard Rococo.
Condition
Overall excellent structural condition with expected minor veneer shrinkage, some loss and restorations consistent with age. Surface retains warm 18th-century patina; inscriptions and workshop marks clearly legible and photographed for documentation.
For additional information, please see the following: https://issuu.com/kavnaghauctions/docs/kavanagh_auctions_-_bombe_commodes_a87ba37151f3e4
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