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Rare pair of 18th Century Italian Neoclassical Etageres
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$10,950 for the Pair
item #397125
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A rare pair of Italian Neoclassical paint decorated and lacca povera hanging corner etageres, late 18th century. Each with two shelves flanked by shaped supports over a bowed cabinet with two doors decorated with classical figures within floral decorated reserves. These antique Italian corner shelves are 41.25"H, 14"W, 10.5"D. These antique etageres are also called "whatnots", or a series of open shelves supported by two or four upright posts. The passion for collecting and displaying ornamental knickknacks, which appeared in the 18th century and was widespread in the 19th, stimulated the production in England and the United States of this whimsically named piece of furniture. The French version was called the étagère. Some examples contain drawers at the base; others have three sides of the upper shelf surmounted with an ornamental board.
The early versions, which appeared toward the end of the 18th century, were light and elegant in design, but as time went by the whatnot lent itself to some of the worst extravagances of ornament, with a wealth of fretwork and spirally twisted supports. Additional variations were the division of the lowest shelf into compartments and the production of triangular versions for fitting into corners.
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