Sumptuous Sofa, Rome Late 17th - Early 18th Century

Sumptuous sofa from the Louis XIV period in gilded wood

Roman cabinet-making - Ambit of Filippo Passarini (1651-post 1700)
Louis XIV period (1661-1715), late 17th - early 18th century

Carved and gilded wood
Maximum measurements 235 x 84 x height 126 cm.

See: A. González-Palacios, Arredi e Ornamenti alla Corte di Roma.1560-1795, Electa, Milan 2004

Prestigious parade couch, richly carved and gilded, a remarkable example of the decorative repertoire typical of Louis XIV, with elements of particular sumptuousness due to the sculptural resolution of the carving: it is part of the Baroque period as an exemplar of Roman cabinet-making, with work composed of luxuriant volutes intertwined with garlands.

In Roman palaces between the 17th and 18th centuries, such furnishings, together with imposing consoles and mirrors, were among the most sought-after pieces of furniture, emblems of the patron's wealth, to be displayed in reception rooms, contributing to the majesty of the host palace.

In this artistic period, the eagerness to expand the structures more and more outwards seemed to animate the creative flair of architects and carvers.

In our case, we are in front of a work realised in the 18th century whose design, of clear Baroque taste, is unequivocally influenced by the models conceived by Bernini. In particular, the construction characteristics of our piece of furniture are reminiscent of the models published by Filippo Passarini at the end of the century, which show an almost uncontrolled vegetal interweaving that nevertheless retains an elegance in which virtuosity immediately amazes the observer.

This would be a natural development of Bernini's ideas filtered through the works of Giovanni Paolo Schor and Filippo Passarmi, whose ‘Nuove invenzioni d'Ornamenti’, printed in 1698, must have had a considerable influence on the carvers working in Rome and the Papal States.