The Gilded Age - Italian Florentine

Photo from The French Garden House

I remember it just like it was yesterday. It was spring and I was hunting for items for my first apartment. I lived in a late 1800's duplex on the south side of St. Louis with 11 foot ceilings and 4" molding. It was my first apartment and I had to furnish three whole rooms of this historic Brownstone walk-up.

While driving around on a Saturday morning, I pulled into a yard sale in the old German part of town. And there it was. My first encounter with Italian Florentine. I paid $2 for three pieces from a pear-shaped old woman with a warm smile. She told me she'd bought the pieces in Europe while on her honeymoon. I walked away with a small gold and turquoise box, a cream and gold trash can, and another small camel back embossed box. Two of those three pieces are with me to this day.

That gorgeous patina, the muted colors, and the vibrant gold, had me hooked on Florentine.

Back then, no one was interested in Florentine (sometimes referred to as tole).  It was considered something that grandma had...an old lady's item.  I didn't care.  I loved it anyway.

Florentine came into vogue in the United States when middle-class Americans began to travel. They fell in love with the breathtaking lines and colors of many of the Italian paintings, architecture, and furniture. They wanted a souvenir...a piece of their memories to take home. In true Italian innovation, artisans picked up on the tourists' appetite and started making lightweight and portable furniture pieces, small boxes, pictures, and trays to sell at a reasonable price. Many times those pieces were made from light weight woods and were modular for ease into suitcases and for shipment. One example are those popular nesting tables with removable legs which nestle inside each other. I guess you can say that Italian Florentine was the first Ikea.

Now these beautiful items have become a rarity. With the popularity of Shabby Chic styling and the revival of vintage furniture, finding those unique Italian Florentine items have becoming quite difficult.

Florentine accessories from The Humble Home

How do you know if it's Florentine?  Well, gold leafing is the main characteristic. Colors such as creams, turquoises, blues, reds, and even pinks are used. The item may have a layer of gesso (a kind of plaster) on top of a lightweight wood. It may have an engraved design. Decoupage is also popular.  It is painted, and then gold leafing is applied. After years of wear, what you get is a beautiful, aged patina of wood, color, and gold that can not be duplicated. It adds something special...a sort of warm history to a room that is difficult to emulate.  

Collection of Florentine pictures from The Humble Home

There is usually an engraving that says "made in Italy," or a sticker that says "Florentia" somewhere on the piece.  However, I say if you like a piece, no matter its pedigree, buy it.

I hope that you have developed an appreciation for this unique item.  If you fall in love with a unique piece of Florentine, grab it now.  This may be your last chance.