Object Description
A rare and important Venetian bureau. In shape, this secretary is influenced by the English bureau bookcase. This example consists of three parts: the arched upper section whose interior contains visible drawers as well as hidden compartments, a middle section with a sloping fall front and the lower section with three large drawers. The construction is very basic: all the attention is lavished on the surface decoration which is executed in a decoupage technique known as lacca povera or lacca contrafatta.
A similar example is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum New York.