19th Century Empire-Style Lacquered Bookcase — Italian Grand Library

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An Italian Empire-style lacquered bookcase, nineteenth century. The Empire style, codified in France under Napoleon and disseminated rapidly across Europe … Read more An Italian Empire-style lacquered bookcase, nineteenth century. The Empire style, codified in France under Napoleon and disseminated rapidly across Europe in the early decades of the nineteenth century, found particularly accomplished expression in Italian grand interiors — where the appetite for monumental, architecturally conceived furniture was already well established. This bookcase is finished in lacquer, a treatment used on Italian Empire pieces to create a sleek, planar surface that emphasizes the geometric severity of the style. The form is likely characterized by strong rectilinear lines, classical ornamental motifs — caryatids, laurel banding, paw feet — and a commanding scale consistent with the grand library format. The lacquered finish shows the depth of age. A rare and impressive example of Italian nineteenth-century cabinetmaking in the Empire manner. See less