Prayer Bench (Prie-Dieu)

Possibly Giovanni Battista Galletti (born Savoy [now Italy], 1735–1819) · Turin · c. 1770–75

The surface of this prie-dieu—a kneeling bench used for prayer—is inlaid with an intricate, geometric veneer of boxwood and ebony. This complex marquetry design over the prie-dieu's undulating facade attests to the high degree of technical skill that was the hallmark of cabinetmakers at the royal court of Savoy at Turin in what is now Italy. A door in the center of the prie-dieu conceals a small cabinet for a rosary and prayer books, and the drawer at the base would have held a padded cushion to kneel on.

Medium

Boxwood, ebony, walnut, poplar, pine, and iron

Dimensions

86.7 × 77.8 × 58.5 cm (34 1/8 × 30 5/8 × 23 in.)

Accession

2016.117

Credit line

Mary Waller Langhorne Memorial Fund; purchased with funds provided by Kay and Frederick Krehbiel; Irish Gala Purchase Fund; purchased with funds provided by John W. and Patricia O'Brien and Gayle Tilles; Neville and John Bryan Fund