16th Century Decorative Objects

16th Century Bust of Roman Emperor Julius Caesar in bronze with brown patina.

Explore the timeless beauty of our intricately crafted sculpture featuring Mary adorned in a graceful mantle that elegantly envelops her form. This exquisite Virgin sculpture is meti...

An English hand carved limestone lion statue possibly dating from as early as the 16th century. Made at the hand of a talented artisan, the limestone is detailed with tooling and chisel marks made by the maker throughout, depicting a small lion in a 'sejant' seated position. Though weathered throughout the ages, this 400-500 year old carving has stood the test of time, with details of the lion’s mane, paws and face recognisable to this very day. An antique artefact...

A very nicely decorated Ming period Swatow or Zhangzhou porcelain dish with Chilong These small dishes would have been used for the Japanese tea ceremony meal, the Kaiseki. Kaiseki...

Unusual and Chinese Ming period Swatow Charger with beautiful scene of cranes. It is reverse decorated. The stand is not included. Additional information: Material: Porcelain & Pot...

A wonderful example of a 16th Century Sawankhalok jar from a Shipwreck off the Coast of the Indonesian Island of Batam. Batam was one of the most substantial and influential ports in...

It is a very old jar in Japan. This is a pottery called Tokoname ware. Tokoname is a kiln located in Aichi prefecture, Japan. It is said to have originated ...

A very nicely decorated plate with a scene of an ancient coin and flowers. Late Ming Additional information: Material: Porcelain & Pottery Type: Plates Region of Origin: China Perio...

An exceptional Indo-Portuguese colonial mother-of-pearl veneered casket with silver mounts India, Gujarat, 2nd half of the 16th century, the silver mounts Goa or probably Lisbon Measures: H. 16 x W. 24.6 x D. 16.1 cm An exceptional Gujarati casket with a rectangular box and truncated pyramidal lid (with slopes on each side and a flat top) made from exotic wood, probably teak (Tectona grandis), covered with a mother-of-pearl mosaic. The tesserae, cut from the shell of the green turban sea snail (Turbo marmoratus, a marine gastropod) in the shape of fish scales, are pinned to the wooden structure with silver ball-headed nails. The casket is set on bracket feet on the corners. The masterfully engraved decoration of the silver mounts follows the most refined and erudite Mannerist repertoire of rinceaux and ferroneries dating from the mid-16th century. The high quality and refinement of the silver mounts and, likewise, the silver nails that replaced the original brass pins used to hold the mother-of-pearl tesserae in place indicate the work of a silversmith probably working in Lisbon in the second half of the 16th century. The Indian origin of this production, namely from Cambay (Khambhat) and Surat in the present state of Gujarat in north India, is, as for the last three decades, consensual and fully demonstrated, not only by documentary and literary evidence - such as descriptions, travelogues and contemporary archival documentation - but also by the survival in situ of 16th-century wooden structures covered in mother-of-pearl tesserae. A fine example is a canopy decorating the tomb (dargah) of the Sufi saint, Sheik Salim Chisti (1478-1572) in Fatehpur Sikri in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, north India. This is an artistic production, geometric in character and Islamic in nature, where usually the mother-of-pearl tesserae form complex designs of fish scales or, similar to the dishes also made using the same technique, with the thin brass sheets and pins, stylized lotus flowers. The truncated pyramidal shape corresponds, like their contemporary tortoiseshell counterparts also made in Gujarat, to a piece of furniture used in the Indian subcontinent within the Islamic world prior to the arrival of the first Portuguese. This shape, in fact, is very old and peculiar to East-Asian caskets, chests or boxes used to contain and protect Buddhist texts, the sutras. A similar chest is the famous and large reliquary chest from Lisbon cathedral that once contained the relics of the city's patron saint, Saint Vincent. Both match in shape, having the same kind of socle or pedestal and bracket feet, and in their engraved silver mountings, featuring the same type of refined, erudite decoration. Their differences lie in the silver borders that frame the entire length of the edges of the chest (both the box and the lid), pinned with silver nails, and on the lock plate, shaped like a coat of arms in the Lisbon example. Given the exceptional dimensions of the reliquary casket...

A very nicely decorated plate with a scene of an ancient coin and flowers. Late Ming. Additional information: Material: Porcelain & Pottery Type: Plates Region of Origin: China Coun...

The very expressive Virgin, in a strictly upright posture, carries the child Jesus on her (damaged) left arm. In her right hand, she holds the shaft of a scepter. She looks at the ob...

This important sculpture of the apostle Saint John, originating from Veneto, Italy, portrays one of Jesus' closest and most beloved disciples. Saint John, also known as "The Beloved"...

Spanish Renaissance casket, 16th century In carved, polychrome and gilded wood decorated with a vase with horns of plenty, heads of cherubs and fruits. In the lock a shield with two ...

A very nice and rare bowl with central scene of a bird in a landscape. Additional information: Material: Porcelain & Pottery Region of Origin: China Period: 17th century Ming (1368 ...

Incredible sculpture representing Hermes in Italian Bronze after Jean Bologne with marble base.

Lion of Forge, Spain, 16th century In forging, measurements: 10 x 17 x 5 cm Good condition Spanish private collection.

In the heart of ancient China, within the resplendent Ming dynasty, a masterpiece was cast in bronze, a testament to a culture steeped in mysticism and spirituality. This Taoist bron...

A very nice and rare bowl with central scene of a bird in a landscape. Great piece; In good condition. Additional information: Material: Porcelain & Pottery Region of Origin: China ...

Beautiful dish in blue and white. This is a Jingdezhen made dish made for the Japanese market. Kosometsuke. Central scene of Liu Hai and the toad. No mark Ad...

Most likely Ming 15th/16th Century, carved chicken bone jade figure of a standing Guanyin (Quanyin) holding a scroll in one hand, prayer beads in the other. Affixed to carved wood ba...

A chinese porcelain table screen from the Ming period, 16/17th century. Decorated in High Relief With Shoulou on his crane and the Eight Immorta...

An English medieval style carved red sandstone roundel possibly dating from as early as the 16th century. Likely once used as decoration for an exterior capital, this 400 – 500 year ...

French Bronze Sculpture of Youth Wrangling a Horse by Guillaume Coustou (1677-1746). Best known for his monumental statues of horses, Coustou was the royal sculptor for Louis XIV an...

This is a terracotta olive jar from central Spain. It has a wonderful aged patina with chalky painted finish. It makes a great statement as a sculpture in a room on a pedestal, alone...

A rare and very fine bronze corpus of Christ after a model by Michelangelo, cast ca. 1597-1600 by Juan Bautista Franconio and painted in 1600 by Francisco Pacheco in Seville, Spain. The present corpus reproduces a model attributed to Michelangelo. The best known example, lesser in quality, is one on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET). The association of this corpus with Michelangelo was first brought to light by Manuel Gomez-Moreno (1930-33) who studied the wider circulated casts identified throughout Spain. The attribution to Michelangelo was subsequently followed by John Goldsmith-Phillips (1937) of the MET and again by Michelangelo expert, Charles de Tolnay (1960). While Michelangelo is best known for his monumental works, there are four documented crucifixes he made. The best known example is the large-scale wooden crucifix for the Church of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito in Florence, made in 1492 as a gift for the Prior, Giovanni di Lap Bicchiellini, for allowing him to study the anatomy of corpses at the hospital there. In 1562, Michelangelo wrote two letters to his nephew, Lionardo, indicating his intention to carve a wooden crucifix for him. In 1563 a letter between Lionardo and the Italian sculptor Tiberio Calcagni, mentions this same crucifix (a sketch of a corpus on the verso of a sheet depicting Michelangelo’s designs for St. Peter’s Basillica [Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille] may reproduce this). That Michelangelo was working on small corpora in the last years of his life is further evidenced by the small (26.5 cm) unfinished wooden crucifix located at the Casa Buonarroti, considered his last known sculptural undertaking. Michelangelo’s contemporary biographer, Giorgio Vasari additionally cites that Michelangelo, in his later years, made a small crucifix for his friend, Menighella, as a gift. Surviving sketches also indicate Michelangelo’s study of this subject throughout his career, most notably during the end of his life but also during the 1530s-40s as he deepened his spiritual roots. The occasional cameo of crucified Christ’s throughout his sketched oeuvre have made it challenging for scholars to link such sketches to any documented commissions of importance. All the while, in consideration that such objects were made as gifts, it is unlikely they should be linked with commissions. Nonetheless, a number of theories concerning Michelangelo’s sketches of Christ crucified have been proposed and some may regard the origin of the present sculpture. It has been suggested that the corpus could have its impetus with Michelangelo’s work on the Medici Chapel, whose exclusive design was given to the master. It is sensible smaller details, like an altar cross, could have fallen under his responsibility (see for example British Museum, Inv. 1859,0625.552). Others have noted the possibility of an unrealized large marble Crucifixion group which never came to fruition but whose marble blocks had been measured according to a sheet at the Casa Buonarroti. A unique suggestion is that Michelangelo could have made the crucifix for Vittoria Colonna, of whom he was exceedingly fond and with whom he exchanged gifts along with mutual spiritual proclivities. In particular, Vittoria had an interest in the life of St. Bridget, whose vision of Christ closely resembles our sculpture, most notably with Christ’s proper-left leg and foot crossed over his right, an iconography that is incredibly scarce for crucifixes. The suggestion could add sense to Benedetto Varchi’s comment that Michelangelo made a sculpted “nude Christ…he gave to the most divine Marchesa of Pescara (Vittoria Colonna).” Of that same period, two sketches can be visually linked to our sculpture. Tolnay relates it to a sketch of a Crucified Christ at the Teylers Museum (Inv. A034) of which Paul Joannides comments on its quality as suggestive of preparations for a sculptural work. Joannides also calls attention to a related drawing attributed to Raffaello da Montelupo copying what is believed to be a lost sketch by Michelangelo. Its relationship with our sculpture is apparent. Montelupo, a pupil of Michelangelo’s, returned to Rome to serve him in 1541, assisting with the continued work on the tomb of Pope Julius II, suggesting again an origin for the corpus ca. 1540. The earliest firm date that can be given to the present corpus is 1574 where it appears as a rather crudely conceived Crucifixion panel, flanked by two mourners in low-relief and integrally cast for use as the bronze tabernacle door to a ciborium now located at the Church of San Lorenzo in Padula. Etched in wax residue on the back of the door is the date, 27 January 1574, indicating the corpus would have at least been available as a model by late 1573. The Padula tabernacle was completed by Michelangelo’s assistant, Jacopo del Duca and likely has its origins with Michelangelo’s uncompleted tabernacle for the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Rome. The impetus for the Padula tabernacle’s Crucifixion panel begins with a series of late Crucifixion sketches by Michelangelo, depicting a scene of Christ crucified and flanked by two mourners (see British Museum Inv. 1895.0915.510; Ashmolean Museum Inv. 1846.89, KP II 343 recto; Windsor Castle RCIN 912761 recto; and Louvre Inv. 700). A faintly traced block possibly intended for sculpting the sketch of the crucified Christ on its recto was discovered by Tolnay on a version of the composition at Windsor Castle. The Windsor sketch and those related to it appear to have served as preparatory designs for what was probably intended to become the Basilica of St. Mary’s tabernacle door. Vasari documents that the project was to be designed by Michelangelo and cast by his assistant, Jacopo del Duca. Michelangelo died before the commission was complete, though on 15 March 1565, Jacopo writes to Michelangelo’s nephew stating, “I have started making the bronze tabernacle, depending on the model of his that was in Rome, already almost half complete.” Various circumstances interrupted the completion of the tabernacle, though its concept is later revitalized by Jacopo during preparations to sell a tabernacle, after Michelangelo’s designs, to Spain for Madrid’s El Escorial almost a decade later. The El Escorial tabernacle likewise encountered problems and was aborted but Jacopo successfully sold it shortly thereafter to the Carthusians of Padula. An etched date, 30 May 1572, along the base of the Padula tabernacle indicates its framework was already cast by then. A 1573 summary of the tabernacle also describes the original format for the door and relief panels, intended to be square in dimension. However, a last minute decision to heighten them was abruptly made during Jacopo’s negotiations to sell the tabernacle to King Phillip II of Spain. Shortly thereafter the commission was aborted. Philippe Malgouyres notes that the Padula tabernacle’s final state is a mixed product of the original design intended for Spain’s El Escorial, recycling various parts that had already been cast and adding new quickly finished elements for its sale to Padula, explaining its unusually discordant quality, particularly as concerns the crudeness of the door and relief panels which were clearly made later (by January 1574). Apart from his own admission in letters to Spain, it is apparent, however, that Jacopo relied upon his deceased master’s designs while hastily realizing the Padula panels. If Michelangelo had already earlier conceived a crucifix model, and Jacopo had access to that model, its logical he could have hastily employed it for incorporation on the door panel to the tabernacle. It is worth noting some modifications he made to the model, extending Christ’s arms further up in order to fit them into the scale of the panel and further lowering his chin to his chest in order to instill physiognomic congruence. A crude panel of the Deposition also follows after Michelangelo’s late sketches and is likewise known by examples thought to be modifications by Jacopo based upon Michelangelo’s initial sculptural conception (see Malgouyres: La Deposition du Christ de Jacopo del Duca, chef-d’oeuvre posthume de Michel-Ange). Jacopo’s appropriation of an original model by Michelangelo for more than one relief on the Padula tabernacle adds further indication that the crucifix was not an object unique to Jacopo’s hand, as few scholars have posited, but rather belongs to Michelangelo’s original...

An absolutely stunning Tokoname ware stoneware vase/jar/vessel - produced sometime during the late Muromachi period (1336-1573 to early Edo Period (1603-1867). Tokoname-yaki ware is ...

A small antique Korean Buncheong stoneware vase from early Joseon Dynasty circa 16th century. The vase is of a classic pear form with a waisted neck, a flared mouth and a ringed base...

The large bowl with foliated rim from around 1600, Ming period. The bowl is decorated with a continuous river landscape scene with pagodas, pavilions, boats and cranes in a pine tree. The interior rim and interior central roundel are similarly decorated. Additional information: Material: Porcelain & Pottery Region of Origin: China Emperor: Ming Jiajing...

A very nicely decorated and highly unusual dish from the 15th/16th century. The dish is beautifully designed with a beautiful fish in the centre. 9-1-23-1-1 Additional information:...

SAINT CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA ORIGIN : SWABIA, ULM REGION PERIOD : ca. 1510-1520 Height : 118 cm Length : 39 cm Depth : 17 cm Limewood...

⁠It's 17th century chinese porcelain, Ming period, made for the Japanese market. This unusual Kosumetsuke Koro would have been used for incense that is added to the charcoal fire dur...

IMPORTANT POLYCHROME LOW-RELIEF DEPICTING CHRIST IN THE MOUNT OF OLIVES ORIGIN: SOUTH GERMANY or ALSACE PERIOD: ca. 1500-1510 Height : 78 cm Length : 57 cm Depth : 8 cm Limewood ...

IMPORTANT WOOD SCULPTURE REPRESENTING SAINT BARBARA ORIGIN : NORTHERN FRANCE OR FLANDERS PERIOD : 16th CENTURY Height: 103 cm Length: 40 cm Depth: 30 cm Oak wood Good condition Saint Barbara was the daughter of Dioscorus who imprisonned her in a tower to prevent her from being corrupted by Christianity. Despite this, she was taught and baptisted by a local priest. According to legend, she proved her faith by carving a third window into the tower, symbolic of the Trinity. Once her father learned this, he threatened her with his sword. She managed to escape and hide, not before being revealed by a sheperd. She was thrown in jail and tortured, refusing to denounce her faith. Her father forced her up to the mountain’s summit and decapitated her, afterwhich God struck him down by lightning. Saint Barbara`s following was popularized in the Occident in the 13th century because of the Golden Legend...

SAINT JOHN OF CALVARY ORIGIN : SOUTH GERMANY PERIOD : 16th CENTURY Height: 104 cm Width: 42 cm Depth: 29 cm This Saint John belonged to a Crucifixion group depicting three figur...

A wonderful original piece of the Renaissance Period - a carved wooden polychromed figure / statue of Saint Francis. This piece was found in France but most probably originated in 1...

A wonderful example of a 16th Century Sawankhalok jar from a Shipwreck off the Coast of the Indonesian Island of Batam. Batam was one of the most substantial and influential ports in...

Mid-16th Century Italian Maiolica Dish hand-painted in blue and ocher yellow color with a profile young man portrait in the center. The maiolica col...

This antique ceramic jar or vase is believed to be from the 15th century and is of the Mamluk period. It is made of a sandy earthenware and feature...

A Pair of 16th Century Oak Saints: One being a male depicted wearing a long hooded cloak held together with a brooch over a flowing tunic tied at the ...

A 16th Century Giltwood and Polychromed Carved Group depicting God and Mary seated on a plinth.

Bizen is a pottery located in Okayama Prefecture. (Bizen kilns are marked with red circles on the map.) It is one of the oldest pottery in Japan. The beautiful color that comes o...

Agnolo di Polo (Firenze 1470 - Arezzo 1528) Saint Nicholas of Tolentino Around 1510-1520 Painted and gilded terracotta 55.5 x 24 x 16.5 cm San Nicholas de Tolentino is represe...

Florentine leather casket Italy, Tuscany 16th century leather, iron and wood. Very rare boiled leather box incised on a wooden core; iron lock. The central shield is divide...

Superb late 16th century signed colonial Japanese Namban export lacquer coffer Momoyama period, late 16th/early 17th century, inscribed 'Arisato' on the bottom H. 30.5 x W. 43...

400 - 600 Year old charming and artistic sandstone relief. Dragon "mythical beast" which is a symbol of wisdom. From Buddha temple in Arakan, Burma....

French Sevres style white glazed bisque porcelain decorative pastoral figural group in the manner of Michel Victor Acier ( French, 1736-1799 ) depicting a shepherd and shepherdess tying a ribbon around a lamb's neck on a field of roses. The pastoral sculpture...

This is called "Tambaware" in Japan. Tamba is a historic kiln located in Hyogo prefecture, Japan. (The part marked with a red circle on the map is the Tamba kiln) It is said to hav...

Lost wax cast bronze inkwell, 16th century Central oval-shaped vase for ink masterfully decorated by four masks with different physiognomies and expressions. Supporting the sa...

This extraordinary pair of Late Renaissance/Early Baroque Genovese Italian wood cherubs is a testament to the exceptional craftsmanship and artistic f...

very beautiful oak sculpture representing a monk with a ciborium and a bible in hand - Germany -16 century Old trace of polychromy Sculpture of good quality with fine hands, be...

A rare and ancient Mamluk period Islamic handblown glass mosque lamp, Egypt or Syria, early 1500's. The lamp of diminutive form & having a flared neck with Islamic calligraphy, the g...

Griffin head Italy, 16th century On a modern metal stand Measures: 20 x 29 x 21 cm (without the stand) The griffin is a legendary creature with the body of a lion, the head an...

by LUCA MOMBELLO (Orzivecchi, 1518/1520 - 1588/1596) Carved, gilded and polychrome wooden frame Water gilding Brescia (Italy), mid-16th century Outside cm 125x106x9 B...

It is "Shigaraki ware". Shigaraki is a historical kiln located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It is said to have originated in the 8th century. In Japan, there are 6 historical kilns that are still in operation. One of them. This is a vase made around 1573-1603. We often see jars like this in Shigaraki ware, but vases with a lot of natural glaze like this are very rare. Not all jars are in this state, and this phenomenon occurs due to the overlap of various factors such as the place where the pottery is placed in the pot, the force and temperature of the flame, the direction of the wind, etc. . In particular, this one has a lot of burnt ash sticking to it on one side, giving it a lava-like surface, and the other side has melted ash, and the glassy natural glaze draws beautiful lines and hangs down. This is truly an art of nature...

Important Renaissance Medical Box. Spanish Or Italian Workshop, Around 1550 Renaissance Medical Casket with stepped lid and vaulted flanked dome. Polychro...

15-16th century sandstone sculpture depicting Prince Siddhartha's (Buddha) horse, 'Kanthaka', during The Great Renunciation. Indra leads the horse, four yakshas bear his feet, Channa...

Spanish school of the sixteenth century. "Saint Paul". Carved and polychrome wood. Devotional image of a round piece carved in wood, polychrome and gilded, representing the Apostle ...

Bronze and gilded copper box, Central Europe, 16th century Dimensions: 13 x 17.2 x 12.2 cm Resting on the ground by means of four spherical feet in...