SAPFM Museum Furniture Collection

Prayer Bench (Prie-Dieu)

Possibly Giovanni Battista Galletti (born Savoy [now Italy], 1735–1819)

Prayer Bench (Prie-Dieu), Possibly Giovanni Battista Galletti (born Savoy [now Italy], 1735–1819), c. 1770–75, Boxwood,…
Maker
Possibly Giovanni Battista Galletti (born Savoy [now Italy], 1735–1819)
Date
c. 1770–75
Medium
Boxwood, ebony, walnut, poplar, pine, and iron
Dimensions
86.7 × 77.8 × 58.5 cm (34 1/8 × 30 5/8 × 23 in.)
Form
Sofa & Bench
Origin
Turin
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
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
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.
Open in the interactive explorer ↗ View at Art Institute of Chicago ↗

More Sofa & Bench at Art Institute of Chicago

More from Art Institute of Chicago

Browse all Art Institute of Chicago pieces →