129
Carlo Bugatti (1856 - 1940)
AN IMPORTANT INLAID WOOD AND HAND-PAINTED VELLUM MOSQUÉE CABINET, 1900 ca.
h cm 184 x l cm 85 x w cm 40
In finely worked ebonised wood, the cabinet is conceived according to a refined Moorish-inspired architectural design, characterised by pointed arches and articulated volumes evoking Middle Eastern influences.
The structure is enriched by a rich inlay decoration and applied ornament in repoussé copper, brass, pewter, mother-of-pearl and bone, emphasising its technical complexity and material sophistication.
The front and sides are enhanced by hand-painted parchment panels depicting stylised clouds and lights, executed with refined decorative sensitivity.
The central section features an inlaid Moorish-style cusped bifora in mother-of-pearl, while the side doors are decorated with small openings beneath which appear Orientalist scenes in a Moorish style, painted by the Italian artist Riccardo Pellegrini.
Bibliography:
For a comparable mosquée cabinet, see Philippe Dejean, Carlo, Rembrandt, Ettore, Jean Bugatti, Paris, 1981, p. 42.
Note:
Particularly rare and significant, the cabinet is enriched with Orientalist scenes painted and signed by Riccardo Pellegrini, which enhance its decorative surface with refined pictorial interventions. The work exemplifies the dialogue between Carlo Bugatti’s innovative approach to furniture design and the painter’s figurative sensitivity, conferring considerable historical and collecting interest to the piece.
For a very similar mosquée cabinet, see the example sold at our auction rooms, Auction 8, East to West – From Italian Homes, 10 December 2025, Milan, lot 65.
€ 15.000,00 / 30.000,00
Estimate
€ 15.000,00
Starting price
€
Your bid
(The reserve price has not been exceeded)
(The reserve price has been exceeded)
Set your maximum bid