Extensively carved with flowers and figures, losses, restorations and replacements
43 in. (109 cm.) high; 14 in. (35.5 cm.) wide; 17 in. (43 cm.) deep

Private Collection, Lugano
Anonymous sale; Koller, Zurich, 20 March 2007, lot 1029.

This lot will be removed to our storage facility at Momart. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Momart. All collections from Momart will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.
This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd

Brought to you by

Lot Essay

This pair of sensitively carved Venetian chairs exemplifies perfectly the original sgabello form. Sgabelli chairs were particularly associated with Renaissance Italy, and specifically Venice, where the present lot originates. The popularity of the sgabello with its elaborately ornamented legs and back was such that the design quickly proliferated throughout Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

As ornamental objects that combine the practical medieval form of a stool with angled legs with the humanistic Renaissance design incorporating an elongated back and intricate decoration, these sgabelli can be interpreted in the context of a Venetian palazzo. In Venice they traditionally stood in sets along the walls of the portego, a long room at the heart of the home that was used for family celebrations and ceremony.

Adorned at every opportunity, these walnut sgabelli certainly appealed to Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s fascination with the craft of wood carving.