ITALIE, SECOND QUART DU XVIIIe SIÈCLE, VERS 1... Lot n° 47

Attributed to Pietro PIFFETTI (Turin, 1701-Turin, 1777) Boxwood, violet wood, ivory, tortoiseshell, gold, silver, silk and mirror H. 11 cm, L. 37 cm, P. 28 cm This rare box set has a rich decoration inlaid with intertwined boxwood and ivory fleurons or acanthus engraved on a violet wood background. In the centre, an allegory of Love stands out against a background of scale on gold. Rectangular in shape, it opens with a lid that opens on the reverse side a mirror with a silver molded frame, the interior has a large locker and three compartments that receive a writing kit. The movable right side hides a drawer covered with blue silk. It has two hanging "silver" handles chiselled with leafy sticks. Pietro Piffetti is renowned for creating furniture with inlays of wood, ivory, tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl, in a "unique and incomparable" style according to Alvar Gonzalez Palàcios, who places him as "the greatest cabinetmaker on the peninsula in the 18th century, but also one of the most original protagonists of Western furniture". Born into a family of cabinetmakers, Piffetti probably became a master around 1721 or 1722 and perfected his skills during a long stay in Rome. His first certified work, a pair of tables commissioned in 1731 by the Prime Minister of the King of Piedmont Sardinia, allowed him to be appointed the same year royal cabinetmaker at the Court of Turin by King Charles-Emmanuel III of Savoy (1701-1773), for which he did not stop thereafter to honor many commissions under the guidance of the architects Victor- Amédée II of Savoy, Filippo Juvarro (1678-1736) and Benedetto Alfieri (1699-1767). His work is characterized by a fluidity of line associated with a technical mastery using rich exotic essences. Piffetti stands out by the combination of materials as diverse as bone, ivory or flake in the same composition. Her furniture is often inlaid with bouquets of flowers and garlands, and illustrates mythological scenes. Th