Neapolitan Baroque Carved Wood Mirror With Putti and Shell Crest C. 1680-1720

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This monumental carved wood mirror, likely Neapolitan and dating to the late 17th or early 18th century, displays the exuberant … Read more This monumental carved wood mirror, likely Neapolitan and dating to the late 17th or early 18th century, displays the exuberant theatricality and deeply modeled sculptural language associated with Baroque woodcarving in Southern Italy. The crest presents two fully carved putti—robust, twisting figures with voluminous musculature and animated drapery—supporting a deeply scalloped shell, a motif emblematic of Neapolitan decorative vocabulary where marine symbolism, cherubic ornament, and architectural flourish merge into a single expressive composition. The figures sit upon an architectural cartouche enriched with dense foliate scrollwork, its surfaces enlivened by the vigorous hand-carving characteristic of Naples’ ecclesiastical workshops and aristocratic palazzi furnishings.

The frame itself is equally dynamic, composed of large, swelling acanthus scrolls, roiling C- and S-curves, pendant blossoms, and heavy gadrooned inner molding, all worked in deep relief and exhibiting the tactile immediacy of early Italian Baroque carving. The elongated proportions and theatrical crest suggest origins in a Neapolitan interior where mirrors functioned as both light-bearing devices and sculptural ornaments. The reverse, with thick early boards and hand-wrought construction methods, further supports an 18th-century or earlier origin. This mirror stands as an imposing example of Neapolitan taste, merging devotional sculptural sensibilities with domestic luxury in a manner unique to the region’s Baroque ateliers.

Measures: 62.5" h x 28" w See less