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$3,500
A truly exceptional pair of Italian Renaissance Revival hall chairs, masterfully hand-carved from solid walnut in the grand 17th-century Venetian Baroque tradition. The pair presents an imposing, sculptural, and highly architectural silhouette — the iconic sgabello form with a towering, lyre-shaped back and a solid, wedge-shaped seat raised on a monumental carved pedestal. These are not merely chairs, but works of art, originally conceived for the palazzi of Italian nobility to line grand halls. The Crest: each chair is crowned by a deeply carved scallop shell, a symbol of pilgrimage and nobility, set above elegant scrolled volutes and a central acanthus fleur-de-lis. The Backrest: The central panel, features a raised heraldic cartouche / shield with an armorial device, flanked by bold Baroque scrolls and suspended fruit clusters and tassels carved in high relief. The wood shows a beautiful bleached, limed, and cerused patina that highlights every chisel mark. The Pedestal: The base, is the tour de force — centered by a ferocious grotesque lion mask / green man mask, snarling with exquisite detail in the eyes, mane, and whiskers, flanked by double C-scrolls and foliate swags, terminating in stylized paw feet. This grotesque motif is the hallmark of the finest Venetian work. The reverse is constructed from thick, solid planks of walnut, with visible age, grain, and historic joinery, confirming the authenticity and substantial weight of the carvings. The wood is presented in a highly desirable stripped, bleached, and waxed finish — a soft, sandy, driftwood-like tone ranging from pale oak to warm walnut, with darker wax in the recesses that accentuates the depth of the carving. Perfect as a dramatic pair in an entry hall, flanking a console or fireplace, as sculptural objects in a library, or as statement side chairs in a Spanish Revival, Tuscan, Mediterranean, or designer Wabi-Sabi interior. They bring instant grandeur, history, and gravitas. Sold as a true matched pair, as photographed, in excellent antique
