19th Century Italian Baroque Polychrome Cassapanca Wood Storage Hall Bench

Description

A beautiful 19th century Italian polychrome casapanca wood storage hall bench having a carved back with the hinged lid opening … more A beautiful 19th century Italian polychrome casapanca wood storage hall bench having a carved back with the hinged lid opening to reveal a storage well, raised on shaped bracket feet. Decorated overall with typical Italian Baroque floral and foliate motifs. This type of carved bench was used for both seating and for storage. Its Italian name, cassapanca, translates as "chest-bench." Sought after to adorn Florentine palaces, casapancas would usually be found in the main public rooms of a palazzo. Considered rare because Palazzo owners traditionally wouldn't sell these pieces. They would be left in a palace and passed down from generation to generation. less