Cabinet "Stipo a bambocci". Genoa, last third of the sixteenth century.

Cabinet "Stipo a bambocci". Genoa, last third of the sixteenth century.
"Allegory of abundance".
Carved walnut wood and walnut root.
With embossed body mat inside.
Secrets in the central and lateral chapel.
Measurements: 183 x 108 x 51 cm.

The Genoese cabinet that we observe is an outstanding exponent of the Stipo a bambocci style, a typology of luxury furniture originated in northern Italy in the last third of the sixteenth century (a model that lasted until the mid-seventeenth century). The term "Stipo a bambocci" refers to Italian furniture richly decorated with sculpted figures in relief, commonly bambocci (grotesque or popular figures) that appear on pilasters, friezes and sides. In this cabinet, the sculptures seem to represent not only popular figures, but also allegories of abundance and fertility, which fits within the symbolic language of Mannerist art, in whose area of influence it can be dated. The cabinet consists of two bodies: the lower one has two doors decorated with marquetry in walnut root and adorned with reliefs and figures in carved wood. It is flanked by sculptures of soldiers or pages wearing helmets and grotesque mythological creatures, with elements of late Mannerist architectural inspiration. On the base rest two guardian lions, symbols of power and stability. The upper body is structured in several registers of drawers, and three central niches, with niches framed with split pediments that house sculptures of figures with fruits and offerings, symbolic representations of abundance and prosperity. The lateral columns are richly decorated with carvings of dynamic and expressive characters characteristic of the bambocci style. Two sculptures of horsemen are in the center of the cabinet, emulating corbels, which serve as supports for the sliding tabletop of the desk. The equine figures also alluded to nobility. Every functional and decorative element hid its symbolism associated with the recipient of the furniture.

These pieces of furniture were considered prestige pieces, manufactured in workshops in northern Italy, especially in Genoa, Milan and Lombardy, and destined for the aristocratic and courtly elite. The combination of walnut with root marquetry and highly expressive sculptural carvings reinforces the sumptuous character of the piece. This cabinet is therefore an exceptional representation of the "Stipo a bambocci" style, with its combination of architectural, sculptural and decorative elements that reflect the opulence and refinement of late 16th century Italy.