Shelf - Olive - Sorrento Marquetry

This is a beautiful late 19thc Italian Sorrento Ware tiered hanging wall shelf. Handcrafted in the Sorrento, Italy region, this showcases the pinnacle of Victorian+era grand tour workmanship, featuring intricate open work fretwork and highly detailed pictorial marquetry inlays.

The hand-inlaid wood medallions include a dancing couple, a donkey rider, a merchant, a shepherd, and a central domestic family gathering. Notably, the central table scene features an inscription reading “Si copia il Francese” (The French style being copied) - a classic satirical commentary used by period Sorrento craftsmen poking fun at French furniture trends.

The fretwork and inlays are in excellent condition. The fragile lace-like fretwork is completely intact with no broken scrolls, chips, or missing loops. The Central marquetry figures show beautiful wood, green contrast and crisp, clear detailing.

Woodwork note: there is a minor, stable, horizontal, hairline, age, crack, running along the natural wood grain on the flat left hand, side panel (see close-up photo). It does not impact or run through any of the carved fretwork or inlaid artwork, and the shelf remains structurally completely sound.

The surface has a beautiful original warm patina with no severe scratches, gouges, or sun fading.

The mosaic border banding (micro – Marquetry) is the geometric checkered border running along the top and the dark curved line. The artisan glued long, thin sticks of differently colored woods together into a tight pattern block (like a sushi roll) and then sliced off paper thin sections these mosaic strips were then in laid flat into grooves on the shelf surface to act as framing borders. There are absolutely no broken loops or missing chips in this intricate scrollwork section, which is very rare for a 19th century shelf.

The fretwork (work) shows a flowing leafy vine like design in hand zone work carving craftsman used incredibly thin, coping saws or foot powered jigsaw pedals to meticulously cut out the negative space from a thin sheet of Olive wood, leaving behind a delicate wooden lace pattern