Estimate

40.000 - 60.000

Session 1

20 July 2026

Hammer Price

Description

Of rosewood, tulipwood and kingwood

The upper section with a pair of doors inlaid with a continuous architectural capriccio depicting classical ruins, a stretch of water with a boat, swans and figures, within a parquetry border of lozenges and quatrefoils, enclosing an interior fitted with ten sliding shelves

The lower section of twin-pedestal form with cupboard doors, united by a small central drawer inlaid with a row of classical vases in trompe-l'œil and a wide frieze drawer at the waist

The sides of the base and the flanks inlaid with panels depicting flower-filled urns

The Brèche violette d'Espagne marble top surmounted by a pierced gilt-metal gallery

The ormolu mounts to the top of the upper section, the side pilasters and the friezes of the lower section, with rosettes within oval interlace, trophies, festoons and leaf-cast borders

Italy, Piedmont (Vercelli), c. 1791

(minor defects, losses and restorations)

146x108x32 cm

Additional Information

Note:

Ignazio Ravelli, of Vercelli, achieved renown for his "tarsie architettoniche" (ruin capriccios inspired by engravings after Piranesi, Galli Bibiena and Vincenzo Mazzi), enjoying the patronage of the Turin court and receiving, in 1791, a royal pension from Victor Amadeus III, with permission to display the royal arms at his workshop. His son Luigi worked alongside him from an early age, repeating and varying his father's compositions. The use of mother-of-pearl and exotic woods is characteristic of furniture produced for the Turin court. Pieces of furniture attributed to the workshop are held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and at the Museo Leone, Vercelli.