Gabinetti alla China: Significant Technical Features found in Lacquer Rooms in Piedmontese Residences

Abstract

ABSTRACTA large number of eighteenth-century residences in Piedmont, Italy, were characterised by the presence of lacquer rooms, called Gabinetti alla China, which were completely covered with East Asian panels and/or excellent examples of imitation lacquer framed by lacquered boiseries or wainscoting. A multi-disciplinary study was carried out on the Chinese lacquered rooms in Villa della Regina, a Royal vineyard estate re-designed by Juvarra around 1732. The iconography, materials and techniques used in the decorations have been compared to the Far Eastern lacquer panels from the Royal Palace in Turin, imported from China, and to several lacquered rooms in Piedmontese residences. Research focused on the common and typical features of lacquers: black and red backgrounds, aventurine decorations, metal powder shading and detail definition, and parts in relief. These were investigated by close observation, optical microscopy and chemical analysis. The art techniques have been compared with seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European treatises. The collected data reveal the existence of artists and workshops that specialised in vernici alla China and in sophisticated pure metal/alloy decorations. The Turin craftsmen were up to date with the rest of Europe in the context of European lacquers, revealing a deep knowledge of imitation techniques as described in written sources.