Coffered Ceiling Element: The 16th Century Scorpion

Very beautiful coffered ceiling element from the Renaissance France or Spain period. This piece of square monoxyle sculpture represents the zodiac sign of the scorpion, it is made from a piece of oak. The scorpion executed in high relief, rests in a concave disc decorated with a hollow fillet around the edge, enhanced at each corner with foliage. Remains of polychromy visible in shades of beige, red, ocher and blue. A visible crack due to time, but which, fortunately, does not cross all of the wood, the whole remains solid; this type of crack is quite common, especially in oak which is very sensitive to temperature changes. I estimate, despite this, this object in good condition, given its age: nearly 500 years. The coffered ceiling, already used in Antiquity, is in architecture a ceiling built with compartments arranged in a regular way, in which are inserted pieces of wood (square, rectangular or octagonal). The Renaissance is passionate about astrology and the first Greek astrologers at the same time as it turns to ancient architecture. Note: In this quest for knowledge between science and the divine, the ceilings of the richest residences are adorned with celestial elements to bring man a link with the cosmos. This thirst for knowledge seems to be one of the key passages between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Delivery: €10 for metropolitan France.