Pietro Ferrario marquetry panel, 1930s

An extraordinary Art Deco marquetry panel by Pietro Francesco Ferrario (Italian, 1875–1946), with an inlaid wooden map of Italy, Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia, with key roads visible and a stylized compass rose to the top right. The panel is edged with Macassar veneers, and mounted on its original chrome tubular base and set on a conforming decorative plinth, all restored to a mirror-shine lacquered finish.

An inlaid facsimile signature P. FERRARIO is set into the bottom right hand corner.

Being of particular automotive interest, the panel was commissioned by the Touring Club of Italy (founded in 1874) in the 1930s and was displayed at the first Peugeot dealership opened in Italy.

Height: 75 inches (190 cm)
Width: 56 inches (142 cm)
Depth: 17 inches (43 cm).

Pietro Francesco Ferrario was considered to be the Italian master of intarsio. Born in Caravaggio but based in Milan for most of his life, he was an award-winning craftsman and during the Art Deco years was a regular contributor to the most prestigious decorative arts exhibitions and showcases. In 1943, the workshop at Corso Sempione in Milan was destroyed by the bombings of World War II, and Ferrario subsequently died 3 years later.

All images and text copyright © Pullman Gallery Ltd. 2024