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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A superb pair of Baroque style North Italian parcel-gilt, walnut and ebonised Blackamoor torchères on stands, each formed as a standing and stooped figure with mother-of-pearl eyes and teeth, holding one hand up to support a large scallop shell upon a tasselled cushion that rests on the back of his head and shoulders, each figure in contra-pose wearing a flowing native costume tied at the waist with a sash, standing with the weight on one foot upon a rock on a shaped and stepped plinth carved at the four canted corners with acanthus bearing bearded masks below scrolls issuing foliate and floral swags on a stepped base North Italian, date circa 1860 Height 204 cm. each. Since Antiquity images from the East and North Africa have inspired Western artists. Ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian art featured Negro figures while African heads became a popular decoration for Renaissance cameos. During the seventeenth century European society came to admire the stature and fighting ability of the North African warriors and for this reason they were enlisted by princes or wealthy Italian families for their private armies. They were also appointed as personal bodyguards or as bearers at court where they could be seen dressed in their exotic native costumes. By the mid to late seventeenth century Venetian sculptors began carving likenesses of these handsome figures out of wood. Known as Blackamoors, they were seen either nude or in native dress, often freestanding and life-size as supports for a candelabra, torchère or jardinière. At other times they were portrayed crouching down to form the support for a footstool, table or display cabinet. Blackamoors are a derivation of the work by the Dutch born Stainhart brothers, Dominico (Dominicus; 1655-1712) and Francesco (Franz; 1651-95) who when working in Rome during the 1670’s carved an array of magnificent figures, often in full relief and life size. However the major exponent of the Negro figure was Andrea Brustolon (1662-1732), who studied under his father Jacopo before being apprenticed in Venice under Filippo Parodi and from about 1684 worked for many of the major Venetian families. Brustolon carved some magnificent Baroque sculptural furniture including a vase stand that incorporated Negroes, Classical river gods, Charon, Cerberus and the Hydra (Palazzo Rezzonico, Venice). He also carved guéridons in the form of athletic Negro slaves. Florentine, Milanese and other North Italian craftsmen soon followed the Venetians, who were all famed for the exceptional quality of their woodcarvings, which of course not only included statues, figural reliefs but also wonderful decorative picture frames. Blackamoors continued to be made in Italy throughout the eighteenth century and well into the next. Indeed they are still being made there today. The mid nineteenth century saw a strong revival for these magnificently carved life-sized courtiers. This was due to a number of factors, notably the resurgent interest in the Barque style as well as the lasting influences of Orientalism. The Romantic fascinations for the Orient manifest itself in paintings, firstly for example by Eugène Delacroix and later by Jean-Léon Gérôme and other Western artists, many of whom travelled eastward. As a result of the fascination for the Orient, Blackamoors found a ready market and as highly fashionable items were either specifically commissioned or were purchased by visitors to Italy during their Continental Grand Tour. Condition of such pieces is important since they were generally made of soft pine or as here of walnut or other fruitwoods, which with their ebonised or polychrome and parcel gilt finish, can often become damaged and are not only difficult but expensive to repair. Not only are the present pair in fine condition but have an added appeal in that their design looks directly back to the seventeenth century Baroque complete with their exotic and ornately carved plinths. http://www.richardreddingantiques.com/collection/decorative/a-superb-pair-of-baroque-style-north-italian-blackamoor-1 |
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