Antiques, Decorative and Fine Arts Auction
Lot 328A:
Pair of Lombardy Louis XVI Marquetry Cabinets, possibly Maggiolini, Late 18th C., Castello Ferrari
Description
Pair of Italian Lombardy Louis XVI Marquetry Bedside Cabinets, One Late 18th Century and One Period Companion, in the Manner of Giuseppe Maggiolini
Provenance: Castello Ferrari, Pieve del Cairo (Lomellina)
This pair of finely inlaid Louis XVI bedside cabinets originates from Castello Ferrari in Pieve del Cairo, a historic Lombard estate associated with the late-18th-century aristocratic circles of the Lomellina region. One cabinet is a late 18th-century example of the Parabiago marquetry school, displaying the characteristic vocabulary of the workshop of Giuseppe Maggiolini (1738–1814): a central neoclassical urn issuing floral swags, acanthus scrolls, and engraved pen-work shading, all executed in fruitwoods with a refined boxwood fillet. This cabinet is possibly signed on the marquetry, in the urn of the middle medallion.
The second cabinet, made within the same period, was produced as a contemporary companion piece—a common practice in late 18th- and early 19th-century Lombardy, where established households frequently commissioned matching pendants to complete existing furnishings. The second piece closely follows the iconography and proportions of the original, with minor differences in the crispness and rhythm of the pen-engraved detailing, consistent with another artisan copying the established pattern.
Both cabinets retain their tapered legs, line-inlaid borders, and warm walnut veneers typical of the Milanese–Parabiago production.
Dimensions: 30 x 19.5 x 14 inches
Provenance:
From Castello Ferrari, Pieve del Cairo (Lomellina), a property historically associated with Napoleon’s 1796 passage during the Treaty of Milan negotiations. The estate housed a refined collection of late-18th-century Lombard furniture, of which this pair was part.
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