16 inginocchiatoio Piffetti

A Royal Piedmontese Boxwood and Ebony Parquetry and Marquetry Prie-Dieu,
Attributed to Pietro Piffetti, (1701-1777). Turin 1759.
Height: 34,25 in. (87cm)
Width: 30,7 in. (78cm)
Depth: 22⅓in. (58cm)
Provenance:
Problably in the Royal Savoy Collections for the Venaria Castle or for the Turin
Royal Palace in 1759.
In the private Collection of the antique dealer Del Bosco in Poirino (Turin) for the
majority of 20th Century, than to descents.
Illustrated in Augusto Pedrini, Il Mobilio, Gli Ambienti e le Decorazioni nei Secoli XVII
e XVIII in Piemonte, Ed. Ilte, Torino 1953, pp.175 fig.320.
The rectangular canted and concave-fronted top, above a similarly a cupboard door
decorated with a scroll-bordered cartouche enclosing a shelf, above a protruding
plinth with a hinged flap, on block feet, a frieze drawer inside.
Although a singular example of its type, this prie-dieu reflects Piffetti's virtuosic
ability to use daring shapes to create a piece that is characteristic of his oeuvre in
every detail. When compared to the works of his followers and contemporaries
such as Luigi Prinotto, this prie-dieu stands out with its extravagantly undulating
lines, which add a sense of constant movement typical of Piffetti’s pieces.
An unusual feature of this prie-dieu is the fine overall parquetry inlay of the
reserves of the sides and the top, with a very special micro mosaic parquetry on the
frontal corners.
Piffetti is known to have made pieces with overall parquetry veneer, however they
are always executed in a larger scale. As many of the above mentioned examples
illustrate, the woods used in this prie-dieu, a particular kind of clear ebony and
boxwood, were preferred materials of Piffetti’s and further suggest that this piece
was executed by him.
Works by the illustrious Italian cabinet-maker Pietro Piffetti are among the rarest
objects to be offered in the market. An iconic master of the eighteenth century,
Piffetti is considered by many to be one of the most important craftsmen of his
time. In fact, the eminent decorative arts historian Alvar Gonzáles-Palacios referred
to him as not only the best ébéniste of the Italian Settecento, but also to be among
the greatest virtuoso of his craft Europe has ever seen. His work is characterized by
an extraordinary fluidity of line in combination with an unparalleled technical skill
and lavish use of precious woods and exotic materials. For his marquetry and the
spectacular effects he attained, is often engraved with hatched shading to give
added volume and create a three-dimensional effect à trompe l’oeil.
Literature:
Augusto Pedrini, Il mobilio, Gli ambienti e le Decorazioni nei Secoli XVII e XVIII in
Piemonte, Ilte, Torino 1953, pp.175 fig.320 Antonetto Roberto, Minusieri ed ebanisti
del Piemonte. Storia e Immagini del Mobile Piemontese 1636-1844, Daniela Piazza
Editore, 1985, p.330, n.493 for a desk attributed to Piffetti, with identical micromosaic parquetry. Pp.332,333 for a Cabinet attributed to Piffetti, with identical
fillets with small checks.
Roberto Antonetto, Il Mobile Piemontese del Settecento, Vol.I, Opere d’Autore,
Allemandi Torino 2010, p.180, n.18, p.181, n.19; p.182, n.20, p.183, n.21, for
comparative examples documented to Pietro Piffetti. P.257, n.68C, for comparative
parquetry of the sides on the Ashburton Cabinet, p.278, n.78, for the cabinet
attributed to Piffetti with identical fillets.
Giancarlo Ferraris, Pietro Piffetti e gli Ebanisti a Torino 1670-1838, a Cura di Alvar
Gonzales Palacios, Allemandi Torino 1992; pp 58,59, n.21,pp. 60,61, n.22; pp.62,63,
n. 23, for comparative examples documented to Pietro Piffetti.
P.210, n.225 Conti Tesoreria Real Casa, 1759, Capitolo 3, Art 145 possibly the
recorded payment in the Royal books for our prie-dieu.
Sotheby’s Auction Catalogue, Masterworks, New York 01/02/2013, for a
comparative micro-mosaic parquetry in both sides of a casket attributed to Piffetti,
(Lot.8) like the frontal corners of our prie-dieu. This casket is now included in the
Accorsi Museum Collection in Turin.
Pietro Piffetti (1701-1777), Ebanista di S.M. the King of Sardinia in 1731:
Piffetti was born in Piedmont in 1701 and trained in Rome in the 1720's, with his
elder brother Francesco. In 1730, he came to the attention of the Prime Minister of
Piedmont, the Marchese d'Ormea and was persuaded to return to Turin the
following year and was subsequently appointed royal cabinet-maker to Carlo
Emanuele III. Piffetti spent the rest of his life in Turin, except for a period in Rome
in the late 1740's, and was still active in 1767, dying in 1777. Married, in 1722, Lucia
Margherita Burzio, a daughter of the Turinese cabinet-maker Giuseppe. He
provided works not only for the King and the Queen, but also for the King's eldest
son, the Duca di Savoia (1726-1796), who succeeded his father as Vittorio Amedeo
III. He also delivered pieces for the Royal Princesses, for the King's youngest son,
the Duca del Chiablese and for other members of the Royal family and aristocracy.
He was responsible for creating whole room settings such as the library that is
today in the Quirinale Palace as well as small chapels or pregadio. It is also
worthwhile noting that he sometimes signed with the words sculpit next to his
name which leads to the assumption that he did not regard himself purely as a
cabinet-maker but also as an artist engraver. In fact, there is a sculptural quality to
his scenes, which were often based upon engravings. Today, many of his works are
to be found in the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, the Fondazione Accorsi, the Palazzo
Reale and Palazzo Madama, Turin, a lasting testament to his extraordinary talent
and vision.