Neo-Renaissance trunk. Giovanni Sole. 1932

GIOVANNI SOLE (Sorrento, active first half of the twentieth century).
Neo-Renaissance chest. 1932.
Walnut wood and thuja root with marquetry of pyrography boxwood (tarsia sorrentina).
Signed and dated: "Anno 1932 - XI - EF".
In very good state of preservation.
Bibliography: Fiorentino, Alessandro: "Il Museobottega della tarsia lignea a Sorrento", 1999.
Measurements: 51 x 71 x 41 cm.

Exceptional Italian trunk of neo-Renaissance style, completely covered with a very refined marquetry made according to the tradition of the Sorrento tarsia. A complex decorative program of extraordinary technical precision unfolds on a rich thuja root background, in which medallions represent classical divinities - Mercury, Apollo, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn, among others - inspired by the famous prints of Carlo Lasinio based on the frescoes of Raphael in the Vatican Loggia.

The elaborate ornamental framework that frames these scenes also shows the influence of the eighteenth-century decorative repertoire linked to Vincenzo Brenna, forming a set of great balance between classical erudition and virtuoso craftsmanship. The quality of the drawing, the subtlety of the pyrography and the richness of the wood give the piece a remarkable visual depth and an almost pictorial character.

The inscription "XI EF" refers to the eleventh year of the Fascist era, a historical context in which the legacy of ancient Rome was revalued, thus reinforcing the iconographic choice of classical roots. This data allows us to confirm its attribution to Giovanni Sole, an outstanding master intarsiatore from Sorrento, a key figure in the last great period of splendor of local marquetry. Known for the finesse of his compositions, Sole was one of the main repositories of this artisan tradition, today highly appreciated in the decorative arts market.

A piece of great quality and presence, representative of 20th century Italian neo-Renaissance historicism, where technique, iconography and materiality converge in an object of remarkable collector's value.