Walnut and Ebony Panel
Francesco Abbiati (active 1780 - 1800)
Date: circa 1790
Place Made: Italy
Materials & Techniques: Marquetry of various woods on walnut
Dimensions: 94 cm x 63.5 cm
Accession Number: The Bowes Museum, W.121 and W.122
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Here are two panels of marquetry (wooden pictures). Marquetry is made using several different types and colours of wood that fit together like jigsaw pieces. These panels are made of several different wood veneers (sheets) that have been glued to a walnut panel. The panel has split which has caused the veneer to split. In the design, female figures are shown wearing flowing clothes and laurel wreaths typical of the classical style of decoration.
In order to show shading on the figures, some of the veneers have been cross-hatched by engraving lines on the surface and then inking into these.
The panels are of important historical interest as they are signed by the famous cabinetmaker Francesco Abbiati who worked in various parts of Italy and Spain from 1780 to 1800. The panels are one of only four signed pieces by Abbiati known to exist.
Teachers' Information
These panels were reattributed to Abbiati during research by Claire Jones, Keeper of Furniture at the Bowes Museum for the Paintings in Wood exhibition. The reason for the reattribution was made on a closer examination of the signature on piece W.122 that reads Fran.°/Abbiati. Only three other signed pieces by Abbiati were previously known which include a table at the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles).
Born in Mondello, near lake Como, Francesco Abbiati's life and work is relatively obscure. He is known to have worked in Milan, Rome and Madrid, and to have produced works for the courts of Naples and Madrid, including an untraced table made for Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples, in 1783. Active in the last two decades of the 18th century, Abbiati was typically influenced by the prevalent neo-classical style. The Keeper also identified the design source for one of the panels, Plate XX from Nicolas Ponce's Description des Baine de Titus, Paris 1786. The image of the two women has been revised, the scale altered, and laurel wreaths added to emphasise the classical nature of the piece.
The frames are mid 19th-century additions, and are very similar to frames used on Joséphine Bowes's own paintings. It is possibly that these were hung in her private homes before being destined for the Museum.
Activities
1. Find out about the different materials that can be used in marquetry.
2. Research the following terms for marquetry: inlay, intarsia, Boulle, floral, contemporary.
3. Have a go at making some marquetry using card. Cut out shapes and use a different coloured card to infill the shapes.