A carved and lacquered centre table, Rome, first quarter 18th century

the later and restored marble top above a vermillion-ground, Chinoiserie-decorated frieze

This console table is an early and fine example of the taste for Chinoiserie that took Venice by storm in the first half of the 18th century, when Japanned pieces coming from England met with the centuries-old lacquering tradition of the Serenissima. On the present piece, witness of the influence of Venice on Rome, exquisite Chinoiserie motifs on a rare red varnished ground, mediated by the European eye, meet with a shape that, whilst prefiguring the full rococo of later console tables in elements such as the brilliantly animated apron, is still remindful of the recent Baroque past in others, such as seen in the fine legs. Particularly worth noting is the twisting and moulded flattened stretcher, joined by a clasp, an innovative and particularly confident solution.