A set of four Italian giltwood armchairs, Turin, circa 1740-50

E. Baccheschi (ed.), Mobili piemontesi del Sei e Settecento, Milan, 1963, p.44.

R. Antonetto, Il mobile piemontese nel Settecento, Turin, 2010, vol. II, pl. 8.

This suite showcases one of the most notable and distinctive designs in Piedmontese art, characterised by the dynamic and whimsical baroque lines in full motion here on the backrest, arms and legs. The captivating design, contrasting with the vibrant and bright upholstery, epitomises the Piedmontese style in the mid-18th century. The present armchairs were probably made as part of a larger set of seating furniture that likely originated from the same workshop, though now dispersed across various private and public collections.

The other examples after the same model with varying upholsteries include:

-Four armchairs from a private collection, one illustrated in Vittoria Viale ed., Mostra del Barocco Piemontese, Torino, 1963, Tav. 155, a.

-A pair of armchairs (slightly different measurements) on display in the Fondazione Accorsi di Torino (one illustrated in Museo Accorsi-Ometto, 2010, p. 105, no.168).

-A pair of armchairs sold at Sotheby's, London, The Alberto Bruni Tedeschi Collections, 21 March 2007, lot 87.

-One sofa and four armchairs on display at the Reggia di Venaria near Turin (ill. Roberto Antonetto, Il Mobile Piemontese nel Settecento, vol. 2, Turin, p.141, cat. Nr. 10).

However, the petit-point needlework on these armchairs is notable and distinct from the previously mentioned examples. While three of the armchairs feature a figure seated beneath a majestic bird, which may be allegorical, the fourth armchair clearly illustrates a mythological narrative. Perseus stands with the head of Medusa, after he managed to kill her by using the reflection of her own face in his shield, and shows it off to his companions, one of whom is portrayed terrified on the ground and another in the act of covering his eyes.

The structure of these armchairs bears resemblance to some Lombard examples, as illustrated by Clelia Alberici in Il mobile lombardo (Milan, 1969, p. 136). This resemblance has led to the suggestion that the maker of this Piedmontese set might have had Lombardian origins. Art historian Giancarlo Ferraris has proposed that the workshop responsible could be that of the Bolgeri family, consisting of Carlo Bolgeri and his sons Giuseppe and Giovanni Battista. Originally from Milan, they changed their surname to Bolgiè and served the House of Savoy in the 18th century. The son of Giovanni Battista was the famous Francesco Bolgiè (1752-1834), the carver at the Court of the King of Sardinia.