Northern Italy, 17th century, Coin Cabinet

Northern Italy, 17th century

Coiner

Ebonized wood and ivory, 41 x 62 x 27 cm

Accompanied by CITES Community Certificate

Rectangular in shape, the coin cabinet has a door on the front that hides an internal cabinet, while on the sides there are three drawers outlined by finely carved ebony frames that frame ivory plaques with rural scenes engraved with a burin inside. The drawers are made of bronze in the shape of a lion's head. Three small drawers open in the lower part, also with ivory fronts bearing depictions of bucolic scenes and always with bronze handles. The central door instead features the figure of a warrior woman dressed in ancient style, with sandals and tunic, while she leans on a spear planted in the ground. See for example, in particular for the decorative typology, a cabinet with the figure of Diana preserved in the Baroffio Museum of the Sacro Monte in Varese. Or the cabinets that have appeared on the antiques market, the one in the Cagnola collection in Gazzada and one in a private collection attributable to 1630 in Milan that features a similar ivory decoration on the external frame.

Essentially two typologies and two production centres have been identified: Naples and especially Lombardy, where the furniture in question can be placed, subject to Spanish domination, have been attributed to small-sized coin cabinets, devoid of plastic and architectural elements, with plaques depicting, often in a cursive manner, characters, animals and plant racemes.