Pedestal table with swans, attributed to Pelagio Palagi (1777-1860)

Pedestal table with swans, attributed to Pelagio Palagi (Bologna, 1777 – Turin, 1860)Italy, circa 1820.
Carved and gilded wood, Turquin marble
Diameter: 120cm; Height 84cm.

Circular pedestal table resting on a base featuring five majestically spread swans, carved with great refinement and gilded with gold leaf. The birds, resting on a moulded trefoil base painted in ivory, support a grey marble top with subtle veining also called Bleu Turquin. A frieze of foliage and rosettes adorns the belt, enhanced by a fresh gold leaf gilding.
The central shaft, topped with a pine cone, accentuates the verticality and architectural rigour of the composition. The sculpted decoration of the base, with its outstretched wings, elegantly curved heads and moulded base, bears witness to a mastery inspired by the great Italian decorative workshops of the first quarter of the 19th century. With its balance and rich gilding, this work is part of the neoclassical tradition that flourished in Bologna and Turin under the impetus of Pelagio Palagi. A polymath artist, Palagi was an architect, painter and decorator for the Court of Savoy, designing both furniture sets and interior decorations in a style that was both scholarly and symbolic. The woodwork and trumeaux he created for the Palazzo Reale in Turin and the Castello di Racconigi reveal the same taste for light backgrounds enhanced with gilded ornaments: garlands, torches, palmettes and allegorical trophies, motifs that can be found in the decorative style of this pedestal table. The combination of ivory-painted wood and gilding, the vigour of the reliefs and the symbolic nature of the swans bring this piece of furniture closer to Palagi's decorative programmes, where sculpture interacts with architecture to create a coherent whole. With its elegance and refinement, this pedestal table bears witness to the characteristic craftsmanship of the Italian workshops working in the master's circle.

Provenance: Italian private collection.

Comparative bibliography:
- Bertrand de Royère, Pelagio Palagi: décorateur des palais royaux de Turin et du Piémont (1832-1856), Paris, 2019 – G. Piva, Il Mobile Neoclassico Italiano, Milan, 1999– A. González-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto. L’arredo italiano 1730-1830, Milan, 1984