72 - Neo-fifteenth-century bridal wardrobe in inlaid and pyrographed wood, Siena, first quarter of the 19th century

Neo-fifteenth-century bridal wardrobe in inlaid and pyrographed wood, Siena, first quarter of the 19th century 211 x 163 x 63.5 cm The front has two doors bordered by pilasters with inlaid candelabras, crowned by a projecting cornice with two rows of meticulous gilded pastiglia decoration separated by a serrated edge. The two doors are decorated with wood inlays in various woods depicting, within golden clypei, busts of Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Bernardino of Siena. Below, the papal insignia with the Piccolomini coats of arms beneath a scroll inscribed "Principi di Valle, Duchi di Amalfi e Principi del Sacro Romano Impero in Nachoth" (Princes of Valle, Dukes of Amalfi and Princes of the Holy Roman Empire in Nachoth) stand out; at the bottom, the IHS trigram surmounted by a cross and enclosed within a circle. Along the frame of the Christogram on the left, one can read the biblical verse taken from the letter to the Philippians (Phil 2:10): "In Nomine Jesu Omne Genu Flectatur Coelestium Terrestrium Et Infernorum" (In the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth and under the earth). The similar Christogram placed at the bottom right stands out in the centre of the radiant sun. Lilies and crescent moons placed around the inlays complete the decoration. Both sides have two small panels enclosed by moulded frames: at the top a stylised inlaid flame, in the centre a Christogram included in a circle, at the bottom a Latin quotation as a protective motto against adversity "QVI CONTRA NOS" taken from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (chapter 8, verse 31): "Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos?" If God is for us, who will be against us?). The lower frame is lined with gilded pastiglia palmettes; bracket feet. This extraordinary bridal wardrobe with inlaid doors represents a masterpiece of monumental cabinetmaking and heraldry. The inscription on the façade, which combines the titles of Princes of Valle, Dukes of Amalfi, Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, and the geographical reference to Nachoth (Náchod), leads directly to the history of one of the most illustrious families of Italian and European nobility: the Piccolomini of Aragon, with particular reference to the famous Piccolomini-Pieri branch and the figure of General Ottavio Piccolomini (1599–1656). The Piccolomini family obtained the Duchy of Amalfi in 1461, when Antonio Piccolomini, nephew of Pope Pius II, was invested with the title by the King of Naples, Ferdinand I of Aragon. To seal this connection to the crown, the family added the word "d'Aragona" to its surname and included the Aragonese bars in its coat of arms (visible in the inlaid coats of arms on the doors). The connection with Central Europe is due to Ottavio Piccolomini, one of the most important military commanders of the Thirty Years' War. In the service of the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand II, Ottavio distinguished himself in the Battle of Lützen and in the overthrow of Wallenstein. As a reward for his military successes, in 1634 the Emperor granted him the vast Lordship of Náchod (located in eastern Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, indicated in the inscription as Nachoth). A few years later, in 1650, Ottavio was elevated to the rank of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, obtaining the right to a seat at the Imperial Diet of Regensburg. The title "Principi di Valle" is part of the complex feudal axis held by the Piccolomini of Aragon in the Kingdom of Naples, where they owned numerous fiefdoms, counties, and principalities spread across Campania, Abruzzo, and Puglia. The simultaneous presence of these titles in a single inscription would place the commissioning of the piece between the 17th and 18th centuries, but in our opinion, it is an early 19th-century construction. The bridal wardrobe celebrates the union of a noble lineage that was simultaneously rooted in the heart of the Kingdom of Naples (through Amalfi and Valle) and integrated into the upper echelons of the Central European imperial nobility (through the title of the Holy Roman Empire and the Bohemian fiefdom of Náchod). The inlaid coats of arms visually blend the blue cross with gold crescents (the original Piccolomini coat of arms) with the insignia of titles and marital alliances acquired over time.