Renaissance-style Coffee Table In Porphyry With Bone Inlays, Pogliani Workshop, Milan

Milan, Last quarter of the 19th century

Coffee table

Ebonized wood, porphyry, semi-precious stones, bone

H 80 cm – Ø 51 cm

Refined Lombard coffee table from the last quarter of the 19th century, attributed to the workshop of Ferdinando Pogliani (Milan, 1832–1899), a celebrated cabinetmaker and marquetry artist who was a leading figure in Milan’s historicist cultural scene.

Crafted from ebonized wood, it features an elegant circular top with a central slab of red porphyry, enclosed within a band decorated with fillets and bone inlays depicting plant motifs, volutes, classical elements, and small semi-precious stone inlays.

The band beneath the top echoes the same ornamental repertoire, while the structure is supported by three curved legs with volute finials. The bone inlays and the contrast between the black of the ebonized finish and the red of the porphyry lend the piece a distinctive air of preciousness.

The set is a particularly representative example of the taste for “stylized” furniture in fin-de-siècle Milan, where the functionality of the furnishings is accompanied by a high level of artistic and artisanal craftsmanship. In Milan during the second half of the nineteenth century, a rich production of historicist furniture developed, intended for the new aristocracy and, above all, for the entrepreneurial upper middle class, eager to furnish their homes with pieces capable of conveying culture, prestige, and status.

This piece is part of the culture of Lombard historicism, and in particular of the refined furniture production in Milan during the second half of the 19th century. Pogliani, with his workshop, was among the leading exponents of the Renaissance and Mannerist revival, creating exquisite furniture in dark woods, ebony, bone, and ivory, often embellished with semi-precious stones and decorations inspired by 16th- and 17th-century styles.

His workshop became one of Italy’s leading firms specializing in the production of historicist furniture and participated in numerous national and international exhibitions: Vienna 1873, Philadelphia 1876, Paris 1878, Milan 1881, Turin in 1884 and 1898.

Participation in these exhibitions also highlights an important aspect: this furniture was not intended exclusively for the local market but was part of a tradition of high-end Italian cabinetmaking designed for an international audience.

- All our pieces come with a detailed certificate of authenticity.

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