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Pair of Moors. Venice, Second half of the 19th century
About the Item
Pair of torch-holding sculptures depicting two Venetian Moors, one female figure and the other male. In a mirrored position of slight advancement, they hold a tray in one hand while in the other, raised above their heads, a cornucopia with lamp-holding plate. They are dressed in characteristic robes with short skirts, draperies and turbans, decorated with oriental and exotic motifs.
They rest on plinths with an octagonal and concave cross-section, adorned with feral feet and lion heads.
Carved from stone pine wood, they are polychromatically lacquered, with the clothes embroidered by burin and partly gilded.
The depiction of Moors was traditionally rooted in lagoon figurative culture, even before the "Michelangelo of wood" Andrea Brustolon, whose works preserved at the Ca' Rezzonico Museum should undoubtedly be remembered, such as the armchairs of the Fornimento Venier, where Moors serve as the supporting structure of the legs and armrests, or the portavasi with a nude, chained Moretto.
Our pair of sculptures belongs to that production that spread in the second half of the nineteenth century, in the context of revivals of stylistic currents of the past and especially pertinent with what was called Neo-Baroque. In fact, the figures are characterized by pastille workmanship for the texture of the fabrics, a typical mode of execution of the period, as well as by an exotic and oriental flavor in the decorations of the garments, clearly a choice of taste that is an expression of eclecticism, dictated by the heterogeneous figurative influences that are recorded in the late 19th century. A number of other specimens are known with which interesting comparisons are possible, such as the pair of blackberry holders in the Museo d'Arti Applicate del Castello Sforzesco. As reported in the catalog entry, similar figures can be found in the Sarfatti company's mail order catalog, published in 1887. However, this was not the only entity that specialized in wood carving in the neo-Baroque taste: in fact, the workshops of Valentino Besarel (1829-1902), Vincenzo Cadorin (1854-1925), Marco del Tedesco (active in 1887) and Francesco Taso (active in 1878) are also known in these years.
- Dimensions:Height: 87.8 in (223 cm)Width: 24.02 in (61 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Baroque Revival (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1800s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1721239133192
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