'Curule' Throne Chair, circa 1875

Name: ATTRIBUTED TO LUIGI FRULLINI (1839-1897)
Brand: 'Curule' Throne Chair, circa 1875
Price: 5500.00 USD
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised USD 6,930

Estimate

USD 3,000 - USD 5,000

Loading details

Try our

Cost calculator

ATTRIBUTED TO LUIGI FRULLINI (1839-1897)

'Curule' Throne Chair, circa 1875

Price Realised USD 6,930

walnut, cut velvet
curved reclined seatback between carved uprights surmounted by 'devil's' heads, the arms modelled as seated griffins with crossed paws, above a padded seat, on X-frame supports centered by medallions enclosing a crowned lion head, the front legs terminating in hoof feet
46¹⁄₂ in. (118 cm.) high, overall

Anonymous Sale; Christie's, South Kensington, 20 October 1996, lot 490.
Acquired by Ann and Gordon Getty from the above.

Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie's Inc

Brought to you by

Nathalie FerneauHead of Sale, Junior Specialist

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

nferneau@christies.com +1 (212) 636 2236

View condition report

Lot Essay

One of the chief proponents of the late 19th century Italian Renaissance revival, Luigi Frullini was described as the ‘Donatello of woodcarvers’ (H. Zimmerman, ‘Luigi Frullini’, The Magazine of Art, 1898, p. 279). The present lot demonstrates his skill and typifies the renewed interest in both the Renaissance and the Antique source material that emerged at this time. The present example is almost identical to a model in a Florentine collection (fig. 1, circa 1875), but differs in various interesting ways. The lifelike cloven hooves of the Florentine model are replaced with more stylized versions in the present lot. The graceful curves of the X-frame and the elegant cross-pawed griffins in both models are testament to Frullini’s famed dexterity and exemplify the reason for his global popularity. A nearly identical pair of chairs of this model by Frullini were sold Christie's, London, 24 May 2018, lot 666.