Sewing Box In Wood And Arte Povera - Veneto - Early Eighteenth Century

This pretty sewing box was made in Veneto, Italy, in the early 18th century. The lid of this box is covered with an original silk fabric, with embroidery on iron wire representing flowers and plant motifs. The presence of this fabric, padded with iron wires, makes it possible to determine what the function of this box was, that is to say, to receive sewing equipment. Indeed, this space made it possible to plant pins during work. In addition to this fabric, the entire box is made of painted wood, enhanced by the presence of arte povera (“paper marquetry”). In addition to the few flowery elements, made with this technique, which decorate the box, the exterior features six scenes: a view of a farm with a mill and five other horses against a backdrop of architectural whims. It is more precisely about representations of stripping, in particular with the single pillar or double pillar, techniques invented by the Italian Pluvinel, consisting in training and taming the horse. Once the box is opened, a sixth scene, on the same theme, is presented in a bas-relief pastiglia frame. The choice of an equestrian subject for the whole decoration of this box for domestic use suggests that it had been made to be used in an equestrian center, stables or a farm which practiced the dressage of horses, at the beginning of the 18th century in Veneto.