17th Lacquered And Gilded Venetian Domed Box
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https://internationalantiques.eu/prodotto/17th-lacquered-and-gilded-venetian-domed-box/
A rare and precious Venetian domed box made of richly lacquered and gilded wood, early 17th century, depicting "The Conquests of Venice".
Boxes like this are more one-of-a-kind pieces than rare items; they should not be confused with the lacquered imitations in the "arte povera" style that would become widespread in the 18th century.
The passion for lacquerware and its production is an ancient tradition in Venice. A glittering cultural melting pot, a prime port of embarkation for the Levant and a must-see for returning ships, the Serenissima had, over the centuries, accumulated a remarkable wealth of technical expertise in oriental lacquers. So much so that by the early 16th century, Venice was already considered the privileged channel for spreading to the rest of Italy a "Levantine style," which had developed very early with the arrival of merchandise from the Muslim Near East. While it may seem obvious that the development of the European taste for the exotic coincides with the unbridled passion for lacquer, it is equally inevitable that, in Italy, the first "façon de la Chine" counterfeits took place in Venice, where lacquer, far from being a brilliant, yet impromptu invention, had a centuries-old tradition behind it. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the "Chinese lacquerers," as the artisans dedicated to lacquering called themselves, continued to use, as in the past, the varnish par excellence, sandarac, to give painted objects the much-coveted shine and necessary protection. The fame of Venetian lacquerware is undisputed, in an evolutionary path of ornamental vocabulary that, from the “Turkish” decorations of the second half of the 16th century, reaches up to the fashion of chinoiserie, destined to spread throughout Europe up to the threshold of the Neoclassical season.
This casket celebrates Venetian conquests: the figure we see seated on the throne, wearing the typical tricorn hat, is the Doge, who personifies Venice, before whom a foreign ambassador bows. Many figures, some hooded and holding torches, enliven the scene. The beauty and richness of the decoration are breathtaking.
The wood is inlaid with gold leaf from Mecca and painted in shades of red and green; the lacquering process was long and complex, divided into several stages: the wood was carefully sanded and prepared with a very thin layer of special putty. Once the preparation had dried and been sanded, the lacquering process began by applying multiple layers of lacquer (up to thirty, in the most precious pieces), taking care to let each layer dry and sand before applying the next. These were meticulous and extremely time-consuming operations that could take several years and had to be carried out in an environment completely free of even a single speck of dust, so much so that, it is said, the most scrupulous lacquerers performed the final steps in the middle of a body of water.
Excellent condition.
Dimensions
H 10 cm
W 24 cm
D 14 cm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++DELIVERY AND PAYMENT++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SHIPPING VIA MBE with UPS - TNT - FEDEX couriers - DHL
Payment methods: Bank transfer - Online credit card (including AMEX) - PayPal (+3.7%) - NO checks
https://internationalantiques.eu/it/consegna-e-assicurazione/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://internationalantiques.eu/prodotto/17th-lacquered-and-gilded-venetian-domed-box/
A rare and precious Venetian domed box made of richly lacquered and gilded wood, early 17th century, depicting "The Conquests of Venice".
Boxes like this are more one-of-a-kind pieces than rare items; they should not be confused with the lacquered imitations in the "arte povera" style that would become widespread in the 18th century.
The passion for lacquerware and its production is an ancient tradition in Venice. A glittering cultural melting pot, a prime port of embarkation for the Levant and a must-see for returning ships, the Serenissima had, over the centuries, accumulated a remarkable wealth of technical expertise in oriental lacquers. So much so that by the early 16th century, Venice was already considered the privileged channel for spreading to the rest of Italy a "Levantine style," which had developed very early with the arrival of merchandise from the Muslim Near East. While it may seem obvious that the development of the European taste for the exotic coincides with the unbridled passion for lacquer, it is equally inevitable that, in Italy, the first "façon de la Chine" counterfeits took place in Venice, where lacquer, far from being a brilliant, yet impromptu invention, had a centuries-old tradition behind it. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the "Chinese lacquerers," as the artisans dedicated to lacquering called themselves, continued to use, as in the past, the varnish par excellence, sandarac, to give painted objects the much-coveted shine and necessary protection. The fame of Venetian lacquerware is undisputed, in an evolutionary path of ornamental vocabulary that, from the “Turkish” decorations of the second half of the 16th century, reaches up to the fashion of chinoiserie, destined to spread throughout Europe up to the threshold of the Neoclassical season.
This casket celebrates Venetian conquests: the figure we see seated on the throne, wearing the typical tricorn hat, is the Doge, who personifies Venice, before whom a foreign ambassador bows. Many figures, some hooded and holding torches, enliven the scene. The beauty and richness of the decoration are breathtaking.
The wood is inlaid with gold leaf from Mecca and painted in shades of red and green; the lacquering process was long and complex, divided into several stages: the wood was carefully sanded and prepared with a very thin layer of special putty. Once the preparation had dried and been sanded, the lacquering process began by applying multiple layers of lacquer (up to thirty, in the most precious pieces), taking care to let each layer dry and sand before applying the next. These were meticulous and extremely time-consuming operations that could take several years and had to be carried out in an environment completely free of even a single speck of dust, so much so that, it is said, the most scrupulous lacquerers performed the final steps in the middle of a body of water.
Excellent condition.
Dimensions
H 10 cm
W 24 cm
D 14 cm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++DELIVERY AND PAYMENT++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SHIPPING VIA MBE with UPS - TNT - FEDEX couriers - DHL
Payment methods: Bank transfer - Online credit card (including AMEX) - PayPal (+3.7%) - NO checks
https://internationalantiques.eu/it/consegna-e-assicurazione/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3 800 €
Period: 17th century
Style: Renaissance, Louis 13th
Condition: Excellent condition
Material: Lacquer
Width: 24
Height: 10
Depth: 14
Reference (ID): 1769738
Availability: In stock
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