In the Renaissance, the coin cabinet, a wunderkammer piece of furniture, took on the characteristics of an extremely precious artefact with a complex architectural form. In the most exclusive examples, it was enriched with mercury-gilded bronzes, ivory and semiprecious stone incrustations, mother-of-pearl and coral, with small paintings and engravings.
An object created to hold secrets, often regal and aristocratic, that exalts the imagination and talent of the cabinetmaker and the taste of the patron. When it was of medium size, it rested on the shelf of another piece of furniture.
The forthcoming Genoese auction of Furniture, Sculptures, Ceramics and Art Objects of 7 – 8 June 2022 will feature a sumptuous Neapolitan coin cabinet from the 17th century (lot 190, estimate 20,000 – 30,000), made of ebony wood and eglomisé glass (a French term that specifies the gilding process on the back of the glass to create a mirror finish). It features a retractable upper compartment and opening lid. The frames are worked in guilloch, entirely decorated with painted glass while two side bodies, with four drawers each, depict the Kings of Naples. A warrior stands out in the upper lunette, and in the central body with aedicule – inside with twisted columns – the Allegory of Fortitude and Majesty is depicted, while the door is surmounted by a profile of Emperor Maximilian I.
With an object like this, the house becomes a stage set, or as the famous designer Alessandro Mendini said: “The furnishing of our home becomes the theatre of private life, that scene where every room allows for change, the dynamics of attitudes and situations: it is the stage house”.