17th Century Italian Sqrafitto Moulded Giltwood Picture Frame

A large carved and polychrome painted tobacconist's figure almost certainly 17th or early 18th century For a related example see Edward H. Pinto, Treen and other Wooden Bygones, Bell and Hyman, London 1969. Page 412, plate 436. Originally this may well have been a tobacconist's shop window figure. For a similar, but slightly earlier unpainted example, see Sotheby's, The W. J. Shepherd collection of treen, 30th November 1983, Lot 393, illustrated in Pinto "Wooden Bygones of Smoking and Snuff Taking", plate 1. Carved wooden figures, often painted, were placed outside tobacconist's shops as signs from the 17th century onwards. The earliest of these figures is the 'black boy' or 'blackamoor'. 'At the sign of the black boy' or 'at the sign of the blackamoor' was a popular address for tobacconists since the early 17th century. The 17th century figures...

A charming depiction of a cactus, strongly graphic old theorem watercolour painting (made using stencils, and with glass straws used for blowing the base level of watercolor paint)...

17th century, Italian carved giltwood mirror with small stones This important mirror, made in Italy in the 17th century, has a rare, if not unique, processing. Rectangular in shap...

This magnificent Italian Baroque frame, dating from the 1600s, is a testament to the opulent craftsmanship of 17th-century Italy. Intricately carved and gilded with gold leaves, this...