18th Century Painted Armorial Cassapanca Bench From Tuscany, Italy

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A popular seating option in grand Italian homes during the late Middle Ages, the cassapanca is a unique blend of … Read more A popular seating option in grand Italian homes during the late Middle Ages, the cassapanca is a unique blend of a chest (cassa) and a bench (panca). This particular cassapanca dates to the 1700s and was hand-carved and hand-painted with an armorial display in Tuscany, Italy.

The shapely spalliera (back) is adorned with a per pale divided (gray and beige) coat of arms escutcheon counterchanged by a red and beige fess with two charges of eight-pointed golden stars. A tan ground surrounds the shield, accompanied by flowers of pink, white, and green. Two blue ribbons flank the meander coat of arms, meandering through an elaborate display of scalloped shells, curled leaves, and scrolled consoles that contribute to the form of the back.

Lifting the seat reveals two large compartments, capable of storing blankets, linens, or pillows, for example. The front apron has a low profile, reaching almost to the floor as a result of the double arbalete shape (similarly, the aprons on the sides are single arbalete). Similar to the Rococo designs that surround the armorial imagery, the front apron consists of an elaborate shell, scrolls, and volutes in beige and gray over a tan background. Our fascinating armorial cassapanca is surely to be a focal point of whatever area it is placed in, such as an entryway, landing, or mudroom. See less