Pair of walnut chest of drawers circa 1770-1775

Giuseppe Colombo, known as IL Mortarino
Cabinet maker active in Milan in the second half of the 18th century
Pair of walnut, rosewood, and boxwood chest of drawers, 1770-1775

90cm high x 132cm wide x 65cm deep
The chests, gently curved on the front and sides, feature three drawers with crosspieces, including a smaller one supporting the top. One of the two chests, hidden behind the small drawer, conceals a mixtilinear chest of drawers composed of five small drawers of various sizes. The edge of the top is embellished with a crosswise boxwood fillet, while the rocaille-motif handles are gilded bronze.
The elegant pel de rava decoration frames all parts of the chest of drawers and is executed with delicate calligraphy, following the decorative motifs in vogue at the time. The rosewood inlay is beautifully perforated and finely shaded, creating three-dimensionality and color, and the cabinetmaker masters even the smallest details. The high-quality finish of the details and the refined taste in choosing the finest woods reveal the work of a skilled master, perfectly master of the technique.
The two chests of drawers can be compared to the chest of drawers signed by Giuseppe Colombo in 1774, now in a private collection. Given the same technical and stylistic similarities, the authorship of the two chests of drawers can therefore be confidently attributed to Mortarino (probably so called because he was originally from Mortara). Little biographical information is available about Mortarino, but it is sufficient to place him in the correct historical period: his name appears for the first time in the Libri delle Università del Supremo Consiglio (architect of Milan), where he is mentioned among the Legnamari (woodworkers). It is subsequently documented in the demolition act of the University of Legnamari, on 11 January 1773, this document is fundamental because it provides us with information about the location of his workshop located in Porta Ticinese in Milan.