A pair of North Italian polychrome Chinoiserie decorated settees
in the manner of Giuseppe Levati
Lombardy
late 18th century
height 40in (101.5cm) high; width 57 1/2in (146cm); depth of seat 20in (51cm)
Provenance:
With Amy Perlin Antiques, New York, 2004.
Property of a Prominent Ohio Collection.

Literature:
A related console table, designed by Agostino Gerli and Giuseppe Levati with similar Chinoiserie term headed legs and polychrome decoration from the Villa Silva di Cinisello Balsamo is illustrated A. Gonzales-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, Tomo II, Milan, 1984, fig. 558.

Footnote:
The fashion for Eastern inspired decoration was wildly popular in Europe from the 17th through the 18th centuries, notably so in Northern Italy including areas of Venice, Lombardy and Piedmont. Architects and designers created exotic interiors inspired by Eastern ornamentation and themes.

Giuseppe Levati (1739–1828) was a North Italian painter and designer. In 1765 Levati commissioned renowned Milanese cabinet maker and intarsiatore Giuseppe Maggiolini (1738-1814) to execute pieces based on his designs for marchese Pompeo Litta at Villa Litta, Milan. Levati also created designs for the residence of Count Borromeo outside of Milan, the archducal palace at Milan, and the summer residence for the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, governor of the Duchy of Milan, the Villa Reale, Monza.

Construction of the Villa Silva in Cinisello Balsamo in Lombardy began under the direction of Donato I Silva, Count of Biandrate (1607-1675) in 1660 and continued until the 19th century. Count Ercole Silva (1756-1840) expanded the villa's collections, and commissioned further decorations from Giuseppe Lavelli and Giuseppe Levati in the Sala dei Paesaggi and the Sala degli Specchi.

Structurally sound. Polychrome decoration probably original. General marks, nicks, scratches, cracks, areas of separation to joints, rubbing, losses to surface decoration as visible in catalogue photos, wear to legs and visible old woodworm. Later upholstery. Areas of touch up to decoration.