Details
Description
This piece is carved from a single piece of walnut or oak. The central feature is a serene, almost saintly …
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This piece is carved from a single piece of walnut or oak. The central feature is a serene, almost saintly face, with rounded cheeks and a sensitive half smile. The face is surrounded by meticulously carved curls, below which is a pair of wings clasped together in a prayerful position. These taper downward gracefully with layers of incised feathers. Above the cherub’s head the curls become larger and connect with another pair of wings flowing upward that end in a central shelf-like piece that provides a kind of visual top frame. Overall the piece has a calm, devotional quality, suggestive of its use in a church or home religious setting.
The overall curvilinear quality of the carving, its size and probable use as devotional piece, suggest that it was made in the Baroque or Rococo periods. It is not dissimilar to carvings in France and Belgium. Further analysis of the wood and the carving might yield a more precise origin.
The rear of the piece is lighter in color, having not been exposed to the air. It is totally flat and smooth. In the middle of the back there is a set of six parallel straight slashes, probably a carver's mark. There are six round holes for nails, three of which have remnants of nails embedded. None poke out beyond the wood.
The piece belonged to an interior designer based in New York City who traveled extensively in Europe in the 1960's and 1970's. She bought decorative arts works on her journeys that she kept for years in her private collection. In recent years the piece has been in storage.
Dimensions: H: 12.5"; W: 5.75"; D: 3"
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- Dimensions
- 5.75ʺW × 3ʺD × 12.5ʺH
- Period
- 17th Century
- Country of Origin
- France
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
- Materials
- Walnut
- Condition
- Good Condition, Original Condition Unaltered, Some Imperfections
- Color
- Brown
- Condition Notes
- The carving is in good condition considering its considerable age and use. The brown patina, accrued by exposure to air … moreThe carving is in good condition considering its considerable age and use. The brown patina, accrued by exposure to air over time, does not have cuts or splits or any sections missing, with the exception noted below. It has slight nicks that we can perceive. There is considerable dust in the crevices of the curls, neck and feathers, but we have not tried to clean the piece. The only imperfection is that the very bottom tips of the wings appear to have been broken. On one side there is a small flat surface to the wing tip which must have been rounded at one time. On the other side it appears that some tiny end pieces have come off; the tips are rough to the touch. The images attached show these imperfections. less
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