VENETIAN TABLE WITH GEOMETRIC DECORATION Italy,... Lot 19

VENETIAN TABLE WITH GEOMETRIC DECORATION Italy, 17th century Walnut; ivory; lemon tree fillets Minor damages H. 84 cm, W. 140 cm, D. 78 cm This walnut table, with its pure form of great elegance, has a straight rectangular top resting on a graphic architectural base composed of four splayed uprights joined by a brace connected by a central one, as well as two braces supporting the top. A rich decoration in ivory inlay covers the whole piece of furniture. The top is adorned with a central medallion hosting geometrical motifs and interlacing framed by a large network of friezes spread over the entire table. This technique is reminiscent of the productions of artistic centers located around the Mediterranean basin such as Cairo or Damascus, which used light-colored materials such as ivory or bone inlaid on dark panels, thus playing on the effects of contrasts. This art spread to Spain and Italy, particularly to Venice, a major hub of commercial and cultural exchanges with the East. As early as 1450, objects and small pieces of furniture came out of the Venetian workshops using this technique, which was very successful over the following centuries. Boxes, cassones, various tables or seats are covered with a prestigious geometric decoration whose influence will spread throughout southern Europe.