Italian Louis XVI inlaid trunk

Height x width x depth: 51 x 71 x 41 cm.

made of Tuja burl wood, embellished with a complex inlay decoration, made of different wood essences, which gives depth and dynamism to the scenes depicted. The main ornamental motif consists of refined mythological scenes, probably inspired by the classical Greco-Roman tradition. The meticulously detailed figures depict Olympian gods and figures, often depicted on horse-drawn chariots or symbolic animals, all framed by exceptionally elegant floral elements, festoons, and arabesque motifs.
Placed in the first half of the nineteenth century, with inlay denoting a clear influence of late eighteenth-century cabinetmaking, with references to the Louis XVI style and decorative trends of the early Empire.


On the sides are inlays with Indian ink inscriptions of later date ‘Anno- 1932- XI- EF’; this trunk in fact belonged to a Fascist hierarch and the inscriptions indicate the eleventh year of the Fascist era.