Art Institute of Chicago

Prayer Bench (Prie-Dieu)

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

Date

c. 1770–75

Medium

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

Culture

Turin

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

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.

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