Early 19th Century Italian Carved and Hand-Painted Cassapanca Bench

$3,900

About

Add Italian visual drama into your home with this elegant antique colorful Cassapanca bench. Crafted in Italy, circa 1820 features a tall, commanding back and intricately carved apron with scalloped edges, showcasing masterful attention to detail. The piece serves as both a bench and a storage trunk, with a hinged lid that reveals a spacious interior. The seat is richly adorned with hand-painted scrollwork, acanthus leaves, and floral motifs, creating a dynamic visual display. At the heart of the design is a large central medallion, featuring a royal coat of arms with a rearing lion and a shooting star, emblematic of nobility and power. The entire bench showcases a striking blue faux-marble effect throughout, further elevating its luxurious appeal. The two person seat is in excellent condition commensurate with age and use, with a wonderful patinated painted finish in a blue, gold, and yellow palette. Cassapanca bench; during the Middle Ages, when a cassone or “large chest” was built with a high paneled back, it became known as a Cassapanca, “chest-bench”, which was the forerunner of the sofa. The Italian Renaissance painted Cassapanca, while functioning as piece of furniture, was also a canvas for the exuberant decoration of painters from the Baroque era. These artists would cover the entire surface of the bench and back panel with crests, legendary figures and trompe-l’oeil (French for “fool the eye”). Sometimes called illusionist furniture, this style of painted furniture dates back to the early Renaissance where ceilings, walls, and even furniture was painted to portray three dimensional architectural and sculptural elements. Measures: 39.25″ W x 13.5″ D x 40.5″ H.

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