133 - Giuseppe PARVIS (1832–?) attributed to:

Giuseppe PARVIS (1832–?) attributed to: A large display sideboard made of wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ivory (Elephas maximus), black ebony (Diospyros crassiflora), and brass. This impressive display cabinet is attributed to Giuseppe PARVIS, an Italian artist based in Egypt from 1859 onward, whose Orientalist furniture was highly sought after by wealthy Egyptian and European families in the second half of the 19th century. The overall decoration of this sideboard consists of various decorative elements combining complex techniques and motifs: wood carved with arabesques and geometric friezes; turned and openwork wood; motifs of interlocking polygons forming radiating stars; inlays and micro-inlays of wood, mother-of-pearl, and ivory forming geometric patterns; and calligraphic cartouches in cursive and Kufic script. It takes on an architectural form, with ebony muqarnas in the upper section, typical of Islamic architecture. The brass mounts are openwork and engraved with friezes of foliage and floral motifs. An inscription in Kufic calligraphy in the upper section can be translated as “May happiness endure as long as days and nights follow one another, and may you live as long as the nights last, and for an eternal (endless) time” “There is no power or strength except by the will of God.” Egypt, late 19th century. Height: 340 - Length: 210 - Depth: 70 cm Non-functional bell lock; shows wear and has minor chips. Bibliography: - Study “Egyptian Furniture in Khedivial Cairo: From the Local to the Global” by Inaş Hośny Ibrahim Anous, IDJ, Volume 14, Issue 5, Pages 117–138. - Raymond, A. (2014). Artisans and Merchants in 18th-Century Cairo. Volume II. Damascus: Presses de l’IFPO. Provenance: - Ferdinand de Lesseps Collection at the Château de la Chesnaye in Giully (Indre), likely brought back during his stays in Egypt. - Private collection in Bourges Expert: Alexis Renard