Pietro Piffetti
Pietro Piffetti
The creation of the wall table under examination here is part of the first phase of Piffetti's career. On his return from Rome in 1731, he was appointed cabinet-maker to King Charles Emmanuel III, a position instituted specifically for him and which he would hold until his death, firing a series of furnishings that constituted one of the pinnacles of 18th-century Italian cabinet-making. He made imposing pieces of furniture for the royal family, as well as highly refined small objects such as inkwells, boxes and fans.
The creation of the wall table under examination here is part of the first phase of Piffetti's career. On his return from Rome in 1731, he was appointed cabinet-maker to King Charles Emmanuel III, a position instituted specifically for him and which he would hold until his death, firing a series of furnishings that constituted one of the pinnacles of 18th-century Italian cabinet-making. He made imposing pieces of furniture for the royal family, as well as highly refined small objects such as inkwells, boxes and fans.
Medium: walnut wood panelled in rosewood and inlaid with ivory and gilded bronze
Medium: walnut wood panelled in rosewood and inlaid with ivory and gilded bronze
Introduction
Introduction
In 1962, Istituto Sanpaolo purchased this table and other fine furniture for its new headquarters in Piazza San Carlo in Turin. The table in the Intesa Sanpaolo collections has a similar structure to an example in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The latter, however, features a curved gilded bronze putto on a globe, and on the top the inlaid decoration of a bound book. This is the volume entitled The Return of the Heart to God, written after 1801, thus after Piffetti's death. Additions were made to both tables between the end of the 18th century and the early 19th century, and recent studies have drawn attention to the lack of information about the patrons and motives behind these later interventions. In the complex life of furniture artefacts, there are no lack of reuses, assemblages and tasteful adjustments.
The work is located at Gallerie d'Italia - Torino.
In 1962, Istituto Sanpaolo purchased this table and other fine furniture for its new headquarters in Piazza San Carlo in Turin. The table in the Intesa Sanpaolo collections has a similar structure to an example in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The latter, however, features a curved gilded bronze putto on a globe, and on the top the inlaid decoration of a bound book. This is the volume entitled The Return of the Heart to God, written after 1801, thus after Piffetti's death. Additions were made to both tables between the end of the 18th century and the early 19th century, and recent studies have drawn attention to the lack of information about the patrons and motives behind these later interventions. In the complex life of furniture artefacts, there are no lack of reuses, assemblages and tasteful adjustments.
The work is located at Gallerie d'Italia - Torino.
The table has four 'S'-shaped legs decorated with gilded bronze, supporting marquerite covered top, i.e. a precious inlay of polychrome wood and ivory.
The table has four 'S'-shaped legs decorated with gilded bronze, supporting marquerite covered top, i.e. a precious inlay of polychrome wood and ivory.
A rich basket of flowers rests in the centre of the design on a base from which plant and floral whorls branch out and occupy a large part of the console table top.
A rich basket of flowers rests in the centre of the design on a base from which plant and floral whorls branch out and occupy a large part of the console table top.
Two birds of prey, with mother-of-pearl eyes, outstretched wings and claws on the volutes, also sit to the right and left of the basket.
Two birds of prey, with mother-of-pearl eyes, outstretched wings and claws on the volutes, also sit to the right and left of the basket.
A musical score with curled pages, oriented towards the wall, is depicted in the top left-hand corner of the table. The notes are from an aria entitled Nel cuore non mi sento brillar la gioventù , from the opera L'amor contrastato or La molinara by Giovanni Paisiello, first performed in Naples in 1788, ten years after Pietro Piffetti's death.
A musical score with curled pages, oriented towards the wall, is depicted in the top left-hand corner of the table. The notes are from an aria entitled Nel cuore non mi sento brillar la gioventù , from the opera L'amor contrastato or La molinara by Giovanni Paisiello, first performed in Naples in 1788, ten years after Pietro Piffetti's death.
The score was executed using the trompe-l'oeil technique that produces in the observer the illusion of looking at real, three-dimensional objects. The objects depicted on a two-dimensional surface seem real and seem to be actually resting on the piece of furniture.
The score was executed using the trompe-l'oeil technique that produces in the observer the illusion of looking at real, three-dimensional objects. The objects depicted on a two-dimensional surface seem real and seem to be actually resting on the piece of furniture.
A small gilded bronze putto with a book at his feet and a telescope in his left eye rests under the table on a central support.
A small gilded bronze putto with a book at his feet and a telescope in his left eye rests under the table on a central support.