Pair of Armchairs Carved Walnut Italy Mid 1700s

Style: Barocchetto (1720-1770)

This term refers, specifically to furniture, to a part of the production carried out in Italy in the period between the Rococo era and the first phase of neoclassicism.

It is characterised by the formal and decorative structure still rigidly in adherence to the dictates dear to the Baroque period (hence the term barocchetto) and to the Louis XIV fashions and yet the new times can be seen in the adoption of smaller volumes, more elegant decorative modules, often directly inspired by French fashion, but always executed with rigorous principles of ornamental symmetry.

The tendency to assimilate formal and volumetric innovations but not to incorporate their ornamental elaboration finds a natural explanation in Italy in the fact that in this century the great aristocracy is experiencing an unstoppable political and economic decline.

If in the previous century there was a great profusion of furnishings intended to decorate recently built homes, to proudly show the power of the commissioning family, in In the 18th century, the focus was on updating the building with only the furniture strictly necessary for the new needs imposed by fashion or functional needs.

The old scenographic apparatus was maintained and the new must not contrast too much.

Find out more about the Barocchetto with our insights:
Classic Monday: discovering the Barocchetto
Classic Monday: between Baroque and Baroque
Classic Monday elegant and unusual with two Baroque balustrades
FineArt: Pair of Late Baroque Chairs, Venice
Emilian chest of drawers, first quarter of the 18th century, early Late Baroque
Urn shelf, Milan, mid-18th century

INSERT ADDITIONAL LINKS:
Classic Monday: The Austrian Taste of Baroque
Classic Monday: Pietro Longhi's Baroque
Classic Monday: The Sculptures of the Italian Baroque

Age: 18th Century / 1701 - 1800

18th Century / 1701 - 1800

Main essence: Walnut

Walnut wood comes from the plant whose botanical name is juglans regia , probably originally from the East but very common in Europe. Light or dark brown in color, it is a hard wood with a beautiful grain, widely used in antique furniture. It was the main essence in Italy throughout the Renaissance and later had a good diffusion in Europe, especially in England, until the advent of mahogany. It was used for solid wood furniture and sometimes carvings and inlays, its only big limitation is that it suffers a lot from woodworm. In France it was widely used more than anything else in the provinces. In the second half of the eighteenth century its use decreased significantly because mahogany and other exotic woods were preferred.

Material: Carved Wood