Striking 18th Century Italian Corner Cabinet in Lacca Povera - 48"

This petite Italian corner cabinet in lacca povera, dating to the 18th century and likely from Northern Italy, combines graceful proportion with whimsical ornament. Its bowed façade is framed by molded edges and crowned by an unusual tiered pagoda-like crest with graduated scalloped shelves for display. The softwood frame is decorated with applied engravings hand-colored and varnished. The door centers on a pastoral vignette beneath a spreading tree, bordered by scrolling foliate bands in sienna, olive, and russet tones. An iron escutcheon fronts a working lock that opens to a black painted interior with two fixed shelves. The surface shows the rich character of age, with softly darkened varnish, gentle abrasions, small losses to the decoration, minor edge chips, and old shrinkage lines to the crest, all of which enhance its patina and add to the cabinet’s historic charm.

This cabinet reflects the Italian taste for lacca povera, an 18th-century practice in Venice and Piedmont that offered a more accessible counterpart to costly East Asian lacquer. Artisans mounted printed engravings to furniture surfaces, tinted them with transparent glazes, and sealed them under varnish, often drawing on Arcadian subjects inspired by pastoral prints. The compact corner form was designed to conserve space while providing storage for tableware or small valuables, while the stepped crest doubles as a display stage for miniatures, porcelain, or devotional objects. Painted interiors were typical of the period, offering a clean, light finish for everyday use.

Compact yet striking, this small cabinet brings presence and charm wherever it is placed. In a dining room or breakfast nook it serves as storage for linens and tableware. In a foyer or library it can anchor a vignette beneath a mirror or drawing, its mellow palette resonating beautifully with plastered walls and waxed oak floors. Its intimate scale also makes it ideal for a bedroom or dressing room, where the softened patina and whimsical ornament enrich the space with historic depth and decorative strength far beyond its size.