Dresser

At the end of the eighteenth
century, Neoclassicism dominated throughout Europe. Furniture
changed to meet the new requirements
of families, who were commissioning smaller furniture, better suited to use in
all the rooms of the palazzi, even
those once used only for entertaining. New types of furniture were created,
such as desks, tables and bedside tables. When the Viennese court moved to
Milan, the city became an important artistic centre, where craftsmen could open
thriving workshops
that turned out pieces of exceptional quality. This dresser
was made shortly after the middle of the eighteenth century by cabinetmaker
Giuseppe Maggiolini, who had one of the most popular workshops in Milan. Its
rounded form and volute-shaped edges follow the curve of the piece and support
the curved top. The dresser
was donated to the Museum in 1948 by Countess Lidia Morando.