Exceptional Venetian grotto bench from the late 19th century. The silvered surface with brown overpaint imitates the iridescent sheen of marine life. The bench rests on stylized oyster-form legs and features a shell-shaped seat and an elaborately sculpted back. The back is richly adorned with seahorses and a central starfish, complemented by additional shell motifs. Venetian firms such as Pauly et Cie and Remi & Cie were particularly renowned for producing such grotto furniture. Comparable examples are held in the National Gallery Berlin, the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin, the MAK Vienna, the Victoria and Albert Museum London, and the Bavarian National Museum Munich. See: Bruce M. Newman, Fantasy Furniture, New York, 1989, pp. 60–64.