Attributed To Brambilla Adriano (1829-1855), Pair Of Chairs, 19th Century

Pair of chairs ATTRIBUTED TO ADRIANO BRAMBILLA, NORTHERN ITALY, 19th CENTURY in walnut veneer, ebony decorated with geometric patterns in intarsia of bone, stars and floral scrolls, in the center a character in marquetry of copper, brass, mother-of-pearl and tin. 19th century (Accidents, losses) Adriano Brambilla active in Milan in the second half of the 19th century. This furniture, with its lines and its extremely rich decoration, is a characteristic example of the stylistic eclecticism in vogue in Italy during the last quarter of the 19th century and known under the name of "Umbertino style" after Umberto I. The rich ivory marquetry , bone, mother-of-pearl and ebony responds to the taste for exoticism widespread in Italy from the mid-19th century, as evidenced by the decoration of Villa Crespi Orta San Giulio as well as the decor of the Queen's Toilet Cabinet at Moncalieri Castle. Several cabinetmakers followed this style among them C. Gasparini and Adriano Brambilla active in Northern Italy during the last quarter of the 19th century. Their works attempt to recreate the precious chromatic effects of Renaissance furniture by employing subjects referring to Italian artistic glories. The cabinetmaker based in Milan uses the techniques and typology of 16th century furniture but revisits them according to the eclectic taste of the last decades of the 19th century by mixing different styles and ornamental languages often combined with elements from his fantasy. He participated in the Italian National Exhibition in Milan in 1881 and some of his furniture was purchased by Antonio Borgogna. They are today kept at the Borgogna Museum in Vercelli, Italy. Furniture from this cabinetmaker recently went on public sale, notably a table with glides sold in Paris at Artcurial on December 12, 2012 lot 43 whose decor and style of figurative scene are very closely related to our furniture, or even a bedroom bed attributed to our cabinetmaker, Tajan, sale of March 22, 2016, lots 188-189-190-192 and 194, for €60,710. Bibliography E.COLLE (il Mobilio dell'ottocento in Italia 2007).