Boulle style closet, late 19th century.

Boulle style closet, late XIX century.
Ebonized wood, metal marquetry and hard pietra.
Measurements: 185 x 118 x 45 cm.

Cabinet in ebonized wood decorated with marquetry in Boulle style and with sumptuous compositions in pietra dura. The cabinet has an architectural structure, topped with entablature and pediment, with the central door decorated with an oval soffit decorated with flowers and birds made with inlaid precious stones, complemented with the same procedure of hard stone in the four corners. Applications in gilded and embossed metal outline the entablature (forming a fretwork of foliage) and order the ornamental sections, in addition to ornamenting the stipes as foliated strings topped with Greek-inspired female busts. The mask with laurel wreath on the skirt is also made of gilded bronze. This is a type of furniture that was made in elite workshops that served the nobility. This is evidenced by the quality of the materials and the exquisiteness of the techniques. The design follows the classical aesthetics of romantic influence that predominated during the Napoleon III era, combining elements such as André-Charles Boulle marquetry, ebonized wood, bronze ornaments and pietra dura.

The pietra dura technique reached its apogee in Renaissance Italy, particularly in Florence, under the patronage of the Medici. One of the most important centers for its development was the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, founded in Florence in 1588 by Grand Duke Ferdinand I de Medici, a workshop that still exists today and continues to restore and produce works of art with this technique. The application of pietra dura in furniture spread throughout Europe during the 17th and 19th centuries, thanks to its demand among the European courts. It became synonymous with luxury and refinement, and some of the most elaborate furniture inlaid with pietra dura is found in royal collections and museums.