Renaissance Decorative Objects

This rare Venetian frame entirely carved in high-relief shows a rich decor of scrolls, garlands, daisy flowers and thistles. At the four corners of the frame are depicted large acant...

Wonderful signed patina bronze sculpture by Juan Clara Ayats on an onyx base of two girls playing with a chair, Spanish artist (1875-1958).   

Manopan crank musical organ. 19th Century. It is complete but it does not work, it needs to be revised. It has 6 cards with spanish songs of the time. G...

Pair of Italian Renaissance style green patinated bronze figure of horse walking (from a series of 1,000 titled: "Cavalli di San Marco II", signed by L...

Large double patina bronze representing the Florentine Singer of the 15th century, signed P Dubois Fr The young and elegant boy, standing, plays and sings, leaning against a column:...

This large, gilt bronze wall clock is a magnificent and highly unusual piece. At the centre of the design is a circular enamel dial, with Arabic...

Renaissance bronze medallion made by Master IOFF in the mid 15th century, showing the mythological scene of Ariadne on Naxos. Made in the mid-15th ...

An extremely rare, so-called, Rotterdammer tile, with the decoration of a sailboat. Country: The Netherlands Place: Rotterdam Date: circa 1615 - 1620 Workshop: Claes Wijtmans This tile comes from one of the most rare and sought after tile series...

These two busts, monumental in both their size and artistry, come from the renowned Italian majolica workshop of the famed Angelo Minghetti. Depicted are the Renaissance political an...

Impressive pair of patinated bronze firedog andirons in Renaissance style. They are decorated with alternating vases of flowers topped by winged cupids...

Indo-Portuguese sculpture "Lady Conception" 17th century, H 147cm. Our Lady Conception Indo-Portuguese teak wood carving from the 17th century. Upholstered and polychrome . T he ...

Charming collection of 4 vintage European bronze, brass and marble pharmacy and herbalist mortars ranging in age from the 17th-20th century. Each shows evidence of working use. Rangi...

Grand Tour Verdigris Marble After Giambologna, The Abduction of a Sabine Woman' Italy, Mid- 19th century, Attributed to the workshops of Benedetto Bosch...

Huge Antique Silvered Metal Campaigns Urn Planter - Barbara Lockhart Estate

Hand Carved Stone Column Base pedestal Sculpture Doorstop Decorative Element LA . Nicely hand carved 17th century Renaissance stone column base appli...

In Medieval Europe and even more during the early 16th century fantastic beasts could be found in Bestiaries, a literary genre close to poetry. A bestiary used the characteristics of...

A rare Dutch Majolica plate with a decoration of a tulip. Northern Netherlands, probably made in the city of Rotterdam. Made 1620 - 1640 Dutch majo...

A very finely cast late 19 century Grand Tour bronze replica of the renowned statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni on horseback set on a verde antico marble base after the life sized bronze statue by the Renaissance sculptor Andrea Del Verrocchio...

Highly decorated Renaissance style Belgium solid brass jewelry trinket box.

This very beautiful oil on canvas is a reworking of the left part of the painting The Three Ages of Man" by the Italian Renaissance master of the Venetian school, Tiziano Vecellio, k...

Antique French Renaissance Figural Brass Repousse Fireplace Coal Scuttle Bucket. Circa Early 19th Century. Measurements: 13.5" H x 12" W x 10" D.

Antique Saint Sebastian Sculpture, Antique Saint Sebastian Statue, Antique Religious Sculpture, Religious Antique Sculpture, Antique Religious C...

This compelling Italian 19th century white glazed porcelain sculpture depicts ‘The Rape of the Sabines’, after a monumental work by the Renaissance artist, Giambologna (1529-1608) th...

Inkwell Calamelli workshop (attr.). Faenza, second half of the 16th century Height 4.33 in; length 8.07 in; depth 2.95 in (11 cm; 20.5 cm; 7.5 cm) Weight: 0.800 lb (363 g) State of conservation: some chipping to the top of the mask around the mouth. Handle glued, without any restorations; minor chips in some raised areas. This object has the shape of a foot wearing Greek-style footwear, as can be seen in some raised areas. The foot is anatomically modeled with bare toes, while the ankle is partially covered by the footwear. On the heel, there is a small circular handle to support the object. The mouth of the container is shaped like a mask. The interior, completely enameled, suggests that the piece was intended to be used as an inkwell or to contain some other liquid. The base, however, is not enamelled. The painted decoration, scant and brief, consists of rapid cobalt blue shading between the toes of the foot, with more precise emphasis on the nails. It is accompanied by yellow citrine accents to enhance the forms. The mask is painted with the tip of the brush, to accentuate the tense nature of the eyes and to accentuate their outline. Thin strokes of yellow-orange line the interior of the mouth. Since the Renaissance, this decoration has been referred to as "compendiaria" and it characterizes the period of production extending from the mid-16th century to approximately the middle of the following century. It significantly influenced tastes at the time. It evolved from the polychrome style "istoriato" and transformed into a new style that "summarized" (compendia), or condensed, the ornamentation of the works into a few colors, placing greater prominence on the shapes. It was often inspired by metal specimens. Since the Renaissance, this decoration has been referred to as "compendiaria" and it characterizes the period of production extending from the mid-16th century to approximately the middle of the following century. It significantly influenced tastes at the time. It evolved from the polychrome style "istoriato" and transformed into a new style that "summarized" (compendia), or condensed, the ornamentation of the works into a few colors, placing greater prominence on the shapes. It was often inspired by metal specimens. This artwork finds parallels in similar objects all characterized by this refined style and produced in the city of Faenza and other Italian centers starting from the mid-16th century. The closest comparable example in majolica is a foot acquired by the British Museum in 2011 (inv. 2011, 8008.1). This was previously published by Carmen Ravanelli Guidotti in 1996 and later by Dora Thornton in 2016 during the conference on Renaissance ceramics...

This fine majolica centerpiece is made and hand-painted in Deruta, Italy. The Bowl recalls the ancient structure of the Greek cups that were used to mix wate...

Pair of bronze patinated French Renaissance style Ewers decorated with putti and grapes wines.

Vivid colors, hand-painted in the Renaissance style, enhance this large maiolica pot from the 1800’s. Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery from Italy that has been decorated over a white background. This pot is considered an istoriato, which is to say that the pot has been decorated with figures, rather than strictly geometric patterns or floral designs. The maiolica does incorporate floral and foliate motifs, with white flowers that have yellow centers surrounded by blue rings. There are also yellow flowers that are depicted in various stages of nyctinasty (the closing of flowers during the night). The flora is all connected by a series of green and yellow curled leaves. Behind the vegetation is a dark blue background. There are two portraits inside large yellow cartouches that are painted in the middle of the pot. The first is a bearded man, dressed in a light brown tunic...

A rare wooden casket with polychrome and gilded pastiglia relief, Italy, 15th century. The box is adorned with four finely executed scenes from the life of an unknown martyr — beautifully preserved and remarkably vivid after centuries. Dimensions: 15.5 × 10.4 × 9 cm Provenance: Dutch private collection In overall good condition for its age, with minor losses to the surface and possible retouching to the polychromy. The ball feet are likely later additions. Pastiglia [paˈstiʎʎa], an Italian term meaning "pastework", is low relief decoration, normally modelled in gesso or white lead, applied to build up a surface that may then be gilded or painted, or left plain. The technique was used in a variety of ways in Italy during the Renaissance. White lead pastiglia was a north Italian speciality, produced between about 1450 and 1550. Six workshops were identified by Patrick M. De Winter, although their location remains uncertain; the Workshop of the Love and Moral Themes, whose products seem the most numerous, was possibly at Ferrara, where the painter Cosimo Tura began his career gilding caskets. Venice is also thought to have produced them. Other workshops identified by De Winter include the "Workshop of the main Berlin casket" and "Workshop of the Cleveland Casket". The subjects were typically classical, drawn from both mythology and Ancient Roman history (especially the early period covered by Livy), but biblical ones are also found. Compositions can often be shown to be borrowed from another medium, such as prints or bronze plaquettes...

Large round pillbox in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fine fire-enamelled engraving in two colours, in Florentine Renaissance style. Diameter cm. 5 cm high. 2. Weight gr. ...

Set of two 16th century oak panels, one representing a character accompanied by a dog, the other a character in flames, probably saints. These ...

Shaped box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with painted fire enamels like lapis lazuli stone and beautiful miniature hand painted by the painter Beatrice Mellana reproducing ...

Chest. Carved wood, metal. Spanish school, 16th century. Rectangular casket with a flat lid decorated on the outside with a series of figurative reliefs in a symmetrical arrangemen...

"Ferdinando Vichi", Florence 1875-1945. Romantic figure of sitting woman. Made in marble, sitting on a chair made of bronze, original pedestal of green, Italian marble. Sign. Vichi. Ca. in 1900. (In two pieces) Ferdinando Vichi (1875-1945) was a central figure in the production of Florentine sculpture...

Acetre. Bronze. Century XVI. Bronze piece that has a circular foot, and a circular body, with an outwardly hollowed mouth at the top, and a decoration in relief in this last area o...

A pair of cast bronze cherubs or putti standing contrapposto on a square red marble base, France, circa late 1800s. Note: These charming cherubic figures were probably used in combi...

Robert Haviland & C. Parlon Limoges France Decorative Plate 1979 Limited Ed # 3. Limited Edition collectible plate "The Lady and the Unicorn" by Robert Haviland & Co and Limoges France. Haviland Limoges France Limited Edition Porcelain Collector Plate "La Dame a La Licorne". La Chasse a La Licorne Limoges Haviland C. Parlon Collectible Plate. 1970s French Limoges limited edition and 22-karat gold collectors plate by Haviland & Parlon. This coveted and rare collector plate display a scene from the famous late fifteenth century Renaissance Paris tapestries of unicorn hunting scene ," La Chasse A La Licorne". The plate is hand painted with an incredible amount of detail, bright and bold colors with a 22-karat gold rim. Made of porcelain with a glossy finish, this round plate features a stunning multicolor fairy tale design with a unicorn theme. The plate is handmade and painted, and is part of the Limoge product line. This vintage Haviland Limoges La Chasse a la Licorne Unicorn Plate...

Large photo frame in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with painted fire enamels like lapis lazuli stone. Shaping taken from the tiles of the North Door of the Baptistery of the F...

Wonderful stoneware Jug from the 17th century. In good condition. A perfect item for the Wabi Sabi, Natural looking interiors.

A beautifully decorated 18th century Italian Majolica faience ‘wet’ or syrup albarello/drug jar. Blue and white having a front reserve, blue and white scrolls to body. Beautifully de...

Head of a woman, wood sculpture, Art Deco, 1930 Carved wood sculpture, in the taste of the renaissance, beautiful quality of work, 1930, Art Deco style. H: 36 cm, W: 18 cm, D: 17 c...

Rare and fine quality 19th century Italian Renaissance walnut carved miniature blanket chest or coffer. Fine carving in walnut wood on the fron...

From Italy, this imposing antique hand-painted Majolica vase with handles is nearly 39 inches high. It is mainly a figural vase in style, ha...

Impressive realistic plaster statue of a muscular nude male that sits on top of a square block base. The elegant design shows intricate detail and qualit...

AFTER A MODEL BY GIAMBOLOGNA (1529–1608)
 Pacing Bull
17th century
 Bronze, on an ebonised wood base H totale 15 x L 11,5 x P 8,2 cm Since antiquity, the bull has been venerated as ...

A scale white statuary marble sculpture of Moses after Michelangelo circa 1875. After the larger than life-size Carrara marble original from the tomb of Pope Julius II in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome completed around 1515. This scale sculpture is exceptionally carved, capturing the quality and detail of Michelangelo’s Moses...

Old pair Deruta majolica pottery covered urn jars, circa early/mid 20th century. Hand painted all around with country landscape scenes of lakes and mountains. 16 1/2" high, 8" diamet...

Pottery was an important part of daily living in ancient Rome. As Romans used earthenware for most purposes, a huge quantity of utensils - cooking pots, amphorae and fine wares were ...

Sea monster Carrara marble mouth fountain Italy, late 16th century It measures 13.8 x 31.5 x 18.9 in (35 x 80 x 48 cm) State of conservation: some small evident gaps and widespread signs of wear due to outdoor exposure. The gray marks crossing it do not come from restoration, but are rather the natural veins of the marble. This work has some morphological characteristics typically associated with the iconography of the sea monster: an elongated muzzle, sharp teeth, protruding eyes, elongated ears, and a coiled serpent's tail. An in-depth series of studies on artistic depictions of the sea monster attempted to verify how this symbol evolved in antiquity in the European and Mediterranean contexts and how it gradually changed its image and function over time. The iconography itself is mutable and imaginative and its history is rich with cultural and artistic exchange, as well as the overlapping of ideas. This occurred so much that it is difficult to accurately pinpoint the "types" that satisfactorily represent its various developments. However, we can try to summarize the main figures, starting from the biblical Leviathan and the marine creature that swallowed Jonah (in the Christian version, this figure was to become a whale or a "big fish", the “ketos mega”, translation of the Hebrew “dag gadol”). Other specimens ranged from the dragons mentioned in the Iliad (which were winged and had legs) to "ketos” (also from Greek mythology), the terrifying being from whose Latinized name (“cetus”) derives the word "cetacean". See J. Boardman, “Very Like a Whale” - Classical Sea Monsters, in Monsters and Demons in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, in Papers presented in Honor of Edith Porada, Mainz am Rhein 1987, pp. 73-84). In Italy the monster underwent yet further variations: it can be found in Etruscan art on the front of some sarcophagi representing the companion of souls, while among the Romans we find the “Pistrice” (cited by Plinio in Naturalis Historia PLIN., Nat., II 9, 8 and by Virgilio in Eneide: VERG., Aen., III, 427), which appeared in the shape of a stylized hippocampus or a very large monstrous cetacean and evolved into a hideous being with a dragon's head and long webbed fins. During the Middle Ages, the sea monster was the object of new transformations: at this time, it is often winged, the head is stretched like a crocodile, the front legs are often very sharp fins - sometimes real paws - until the image merges with dragons, the typical figures of medieval visionary spirituality widely found throughout Europe (on this topic and much more, see: Baltrušaitis, J., Il Medioevo fantastico. Antichità ed esotismi nell’arte gotica, Gli Adelphi 1997). In Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries, the revival of classicism - representative of the humanistic and Renaissance periods - led to a different reading of these "creatures". Indeed, the sea monster was also to find widespread use as an isolated decorative motif, especially in numerous fountains and sculptures where dolphins or sea monsters were used as a characterizing element linked to water (on this theme see: Chet Van Duzer, Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps, London, The British library, 2013). From the morphological point of view, the "sea monsters" of this period are mostly depicted as hybrid figures, in which the body of a mythological or real being (a hippocampus, a sea snake, a dolphin), is joined to a head with a rather indistinct appearance. It was usually characterized by large upright ears, an elongated snout, sharp teeth and globular, protruding eyes; a complex and indefinite figure, both from the symbolic point of view and from that of its genesis. The work we are examining is placed as a cross between the medieval sea serpent and the Renaissance dolphin, with stylistic features which recall the snake as often used in heraldry (such as the "snake" depicted in the coat of arms of the Visconti - the lords and then dukes of Milan between 1277 and 1447 - and which, for some, may be derived from the representations of the “Pistrice” that swallowed Jonah). In the search for sources, Renaissance cartography and in particular woodcuts should not be neglected. See for example the monsters of Olaus Magnus, from the editions of the “Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus” (“History of the peoples of the north”) and the natural histories of Conrad Gesner, Ulisse...

18th Century or Older Italian Renaissance Style Carved Verdigris Marble Table Box  This exquisite 18th-century or older carved Verdigris marble table box epitomizes Italian Renaissa...

Formerly known as the "Master of Magione", Nero Alberti da Sansepolcro established a workshop around Perugia in the mid 16th century specializing in the production of devotional imag...

Impressive pair of black patinated bronze vases in the style of Renaissance. Finely decorated handles with a satyr figure, over with a and body surrounded by bacchanal scenes. Exquis...

This pair of small 19th century bronze candlesticks (“bougeoirs” in French) was crafted in the Renaissance style. The circular molded base...

Jewelry box in 925 sterling silver. The body of the box is rectangular and shaped which makes its line light and harmonious. The hinged lid is hand-engraved with volutes and Florentine lilies...

A very large and unique white marble mortar from the 16th century with sculpted side mascarons. This imposing piece has great patina and character. It looks impressive set in a coffe...

Rare gilded wooden frame qualified by a polychrome painted metal band with tiny foliage ornaments. Silver metal sconces chiselled with cherub heads between scrolls. Rome, 17th Two co...

An exceptionally rare antique German Renaissance carving by Stephan Rottaler (1581-1533), Bavaria circa 1500. The carving is by Stephan Rottaler, Landshut, Germany, an architect who ...

20th century French stone lion holding a shield on a pedestal. A 20th century lion carved from stone holding a crest carved with a lion with wearing a crown. It is a representation o...

Majolica amphora made and painted by hand, following the original Renaissance painting technique. This sumptuous vase is characterized by the elegant presence of naturalistic ornamen...

The bronze statue depicts a Turkish warrior with shield and sword. the warrior is shown bare without veils, with a base also made of oval-shaped bronze, acting in a war scene. Detai...

A rather unique painted chest from Europe, this table coffer was commissioned in 1915. The right side (when viewing from the front) is dated, with the numbers flanking a springing ra...