Italian 16th Century Marble Fragment

A very handsome pair of late 16th-early 17th century Pinnacle fragments in polychromed wood. Wonderful architectural elements as they are or perfectly suited to convert into lamps. T...

A very beautiful larger scale 18th century fragment in stunning polychromed wood from the Barcelona region. Wonderful simply as an object, or stunning converted into a lamp.

Although when most people hear the word “gargoyle”, they probably envision small, winged creatures with grotesque visages. However, the phrase has a deeper meaning, encompassing any carved head (animal or human) that function as waterspouts. From the Early Renaissance (late 1400’s/early 1500’s), our gargoyle fountain spout features a human-like face with pointed ears, possibly representing a centaur or a satyr. The roughly rectangular block of marble was hand-carved in Arezzo, in the Tuscany region of Italy. All sides except the front of the cream-colored stone have a sawed finish, resulting in a rough texture. The back has been excavated, adding to the character of the gargoyle. A 1 ½” diameter hole has been cut all the way through, forming an open mouth of the gargoyle. The gaping mouth was often a symbol used to conjure images of devouring giants and used to remind people that they are susceptible to certain forces. Our 15th/16th century marble...

Rectangular frieze in carved pine wood, gilded and polychrome decorated with figurative reliefs. An architectural piece with garland serves as the axis for the symmetrical compositio...