16th Century, Carved, Gilded and Polychrome Wooden Frame

About the Item

by LUCA MOMBELLO (Orzivecchi, 1518/1520 - 1588/1596) Carved, gilded and polychrome wooden frame Water gilding Brescia (Italy), mid-16th century Outside cm 125x106x9 Bar cm 104 x 87 Light cm 101x84 External and internal part of the frame carved with successive foliaceous motifs. Body raised, sculpted to represent elegant plant motifs, and centered by four angel heads with outstretched wings. Corners carved to depict acanthus leaves underlined by colours. The frame, of refined execution, both as regards the carving and the gilding and the polychromy, can be attributed to the workshop of the Brescian artist Luca Mombello, a talented and well-known painter of the Moretto school, who, in the first half of the 16th century, thanks to his talents, he was also a skilled carver and producer of frames. Frame exhibited in the exhibition "Sacro al femminile" Works by Moretto's pupils, Brescia, Diocesan Museum, year 2023 (Cover of the catalog and publication visible in the images) Restauri da segnalare On the back some ancient holes perhaps left by reinforcing plates which are not needed today as the frame is very solid Luca Mombello According to tradition, his place of birth and death is Orzivecchi. The date of his birth can be obtained from two separate policies: one dating back to 1568 and another to 1588 (belonging to the fourth Quadra di San Faustino, one of the ancient districts of Brescia, now preserved in the Brescia State Archives) . According to these, Mombello was born in 1518; another policy dating back to 1548 (belonging to the fourth Quadra of San Faustino, now kept in the State Archives of Brescia), reports a declaration by the artist himself who claims to be 28 years old and to be a painter, which is why the date of birth is postponed to 1520. An altarpiece kept in Ponte di Brenta is signed and dated "Luca-Moretto 1588". The incorrect transcription of the surname must not mislead: despite some Morettesque details, the altarpiece, depicting the Madonna and the saints Mark and Daniel, cannot be by the master, who died in any case forty years earlier, but by Luca Mombello. In a document dating back to 4 May 1596, kept in the State Archives of Brescia, the painter's son, Antonio, appears as a witness; he qualifies as the son of the late Luca Mombello. The painter's death should therefore be placed between 1588 and 1596. Tradition has it that he was a skilled carver of frames and, as such, he seems to have entered Moretto's workshop. This early occupation of his may in some way explain the anomalous absence of early paintings and the subsequent predilection for richly ornamented compositions. In fact, after the master's death, Mombello accentuated his tendency towards decoratorism. The contrast is evident between the beginnings, marked by a more careful revival of Moretto, and his maturity, aimed at decorative exuberance, which leads him to achieve a pictorial style that can be considered Mannerist. Mombello himself organized his own workshop.

Dimensions:

Height: 49.22 in (125 cm)Width: 41.74 in (106 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)

Style:

Renaissance (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Wood,Carved,Gilt,Polychromed

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

16th Century

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1550

Condition:

Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use. On the back some ancient holes perhaps left by reinforcing plates which are not needed today as the frame is very solid.

Seller Location:

Brescia, IT

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU8552233902622

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