Venetian (or Tuscan) carver active in the 18th century

Carved and gilded wood

Total frame measurements: 86 x 60 cm.

Internal measurements: 40 x 29 cm.

This precious pair of Venetian frames, the work of an 18th-century carver, are shown in all their opulence, carved in high relief with a rich decoration of intertwining volutes, festoons and garlands of fruit with winged angel heads and female masks in the upper centre.

These are two beautiful works defined as Sansovinian, or 'Sansovino-style'; they are characterised by an exuberance of decorative motifs taken from classical antiquity, partially superimposed, intended to render striking chiaroscuro contrasts.

The name derives from the famous Florentine Renaissance architect and sculptor Jacopo Sansovino (1486-1570), who trained in Rome and then moved to Venice, introducing Roman classicism into elegant Venetian architecture and harmoniously integrating the monumental style of Mannerism with a taste for meticulous ornamentation. His unique style, therefore, which has been taken up by our carver, represents the recovery of a certain Mannerist classicism, but also somewhat atypical of the typical Baroque movement.

The frames, intact in the carved part, have been perfectly cleaned and restored in our workshop.