Italian Wardrobe, Attr To Maggiolini Giuseppe, 18th

Wardrobe with One Door, in Marquetry with Arabesque Decor, attributed to MAGGIOLINI Giuseppe, 18th Century. It opens on the front with a door and a drawer in the lower part, which closes with a key. Inside the shelves. It measures 185 cm in height, 78 cm in length and 38 cm in depth. Giuseppe Maggiolini is an Italian cabinetmaker born in Parabiago on November 13, 1738 and died on November 16, 1814, famous for his marquetry furniture. Giuseppe Maggiolini was born in Milan in Parabiago in 1738. After the death of his father, a worker in a Cistercian monastery, he was taken in by the monks who apprenticed him to a carpenter. Around 1760, he became independent and set up a shop in the main square of Parabiago. He was encouraged, from the production of his first works, by art lovers who gave him great publicity. And in 1771, he entered the service of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and quickly obtained the favor of all the great Lombard nobility and the friendship of the great artists of the time. Called “the prince of marquetry” Guiseppe Maggliolini had a brilliant career and was one of the main Italian cabinetmakers. His furniture, inspired by French works, with geometric lines, in a sober, neoclassical style, offered delightful decorations, with the most delicate taste. Its marquetry, in colored wood, often represented sprays of flowers connected by a ribbon, animals, birds and insects, landscapes, naked or draped figures. We can mention beautiful chests of drawers and secretaries constructed with great ingenuity. Some of his works are kept at the Royal Palace in Milan. At the end of his life, Giuseppe Maggiolini, tested by the wars and revolutions of his country, found himself ruined and he was forced to cease his activities. It is his son and student, Carlo-Francisco, a talented marquetry maker like his father, who will succeed him.