Barberini Cabinet
Medium
Oak and poplar veneered with various exotic hardwoods, with ebony moldings and plaques of marble, slate (paragon); pietre dure work consisting of colored marbles, rock crystal, and various hardstones
Dimensions
23 1/4 x 38 1/8 x 14 1/8 in. (59.1 x 96.8 x 35.9 cm)
Classification
Woodwork-Furniture
Culture
Italian, Florence
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Wrightsman Fund, 1988
Accession Number
1988.19
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of early 17th-century Florence with the Barberini Cabinet, a masterpiece of luxury furniture crafted around 1606–23 by the Galleria dei Li workshop and designer Francesco Del Tuppo. in the Medici court's renowned stoneworking atelier—the precursor to the Opificio delle Piet Dure—this compact cabinet (just over 38 inches wide) exemplifies Renaissance Italy's shift toward Baroque grandeur. Likely created for elite patrons, its name evokes the powerful Barberini family of Rome, hinting at diplomatic gifts or princely collections that bridged Florence and papal circles....
About the Artist
Galleria dei Lavori, Florence|Francesco Del Tuppo ( |Italian) · |1443 – |1501
|Italian, 1443/44–1501