August, 1917 
41 
In the shaped front, knee hole and cab¬ 
riole legs of this Italian walnut veneer 
writing table is found Louis Quinze in¬ 
fluence. C. 1760. Courtesy of Wanamaker 
Gallic influence is also shown in this 
18 th Century veneered, inlaid and 
painted chest of drawers or console 
cabinet. Courtesy of Cooper Institute 
Chippendale elaborations, Adam, 
Hepplewhite and Sheraton refine¬ 
ments, Louis XV frivolity, Louis 
XVI classicism or the pedantic liter¬ 
alness of the Directoire—we are al¬ 
most certain to find echoed in Italian 
furniture of the same period. 
The prospective purchaser of the 
18th Century Italian furniture, if not 
already familiar with its structural 
peculiarities and shortcomings, may 
be dismayed at what he finds on the 
inside of some piece of cabinetwork 
whose comely exterior has especially 
appealed to him. The niceties of fin¬ 
ished workmanship to be found in 
English or American pieces are prac¬ 
tically unknown and the joinery is 
almost invariably rough and crude. 
At times it is so unworkmanlike, ac¬ 
cording to our notions, as to occasion 
serious misgivings about 
its durability. Neverthe¬ 
less, despite appearances, 
it usually has the merit 
of strength and there is 
comfort to be derived 
from the fact that it has 
held together this long, 
and the probability that 
it will continue to hold 
together equally well for 
future generations. 
Italian Methods 
It happens that there 
is often a superfluity of 
timber employed and the 
defect is generally in the 
direction of clumsiness 
rather than fragility. 
This disparity between 
outward finish and in¬ 
ternal carelessness is to 
be attributed to the Latin 
habit of emphasizing ef¬ 
fect alone. We find plen¬ 
ty of evidence of the 
same spirit in Italian ar¬ 
chitecture for example. 
Articles of furniture 
commonly used in Eng¬ 
land and France during 
the 18th Century were 
An 18 th Century Italian polychrome bedstead, 
with cream ground, dark blue stripings and 
vari-flowered decorations. Courtesy of Cooper 
Institute 
The characteristic feminine richness of l&th Century Italian furniture is 
shown in this bedstead. The ground is red and the panels are painted on 
canvas and applied. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania School of Industrial Art 
also to be found in Italy, and, in addi¬ 
tion, there were some specialized local 
refinements. The 18th Century was a 
period of refinement in furnishings, 
indeed we might call it the age of the 
boudoir and of the drawing room, and 
in Italy those refinements were likely 
to flourish to the fullest extent. It will 
not be necessary to enumerate all the 
items of household equipment in full, 
and the purpose of conveying a com¬ 
prehensive acquaintance with the style 
will be served by discussing some of 
the most characteristic features, and 
then by giving an outline of the meth¬ 
ods of decoration and the materials 
employed by the Italians. 
The Characteristic Console 
One of the most characteristic 
pieces in Italian interiors was the 
console, either in the 
form of a table or else 
as a cabinet or chest of 
drawers, and numerous 
varieties of these forms 
persisted through all the 
recurrent styles, from 
the curvilinear furniture 
contemporary with the 
Queen Anne mode in 
England to the recti¬ 
linear and grandiose Di¬ 
rectoire and Empire pat¬ 
terns. During the earli¬ 
est period a common 
form of console stand or 
bracket had a shaped top 
and gilt supports boldly 
carved. A kindred type 
had an oblong rectangu¬ 
lar top with ornately 
carved gilt legs. Echoes 
of a like treatment were 
to be found in both 
carved and veneered 
walnut, oftentimes with 
the additional embellish¬ 
ment of gilding and mar- 
queterie. Consoles re¬ 
flecting the Louis Quinze 
episode with bombe 
fronts and tapering, out- 
(Continued on page 54) 
