Rare Pair Of Nubian Light Holders, Venice, 18th Century

Our pair of Nubian light-bearers, typically Venetian work, is a very rare example dating from the 18th century.
What differentiates them from the Nubian torch-bearers of the 19th and 20th centuries is their great simplicity.
Here, the two Nubians are small, naked children, dressed only in a loincloth and displaying very little polychromy.
They would originally have carried a spear or torch in their left hand, which has disappeared.

This type of pair is extremely rare.
Given their small size, less than a meter high, they may have appeared in niches.

Later examples, generally large, are richly decorated, the polychromy is vivid, they wear colorful, even flashy, often chiseled costumes, and the presence of rich ornamentation and jewelry is common.
These elements characterize the very many examples that will be made in the 19th and 20th centuries, and still today.

Quite different from these late examples, our small pair of Nubians is very sober, the details are refined.
It should be noted that the two loincloths have elegant and dissimilar drapes, one of the two children having bare buttocks like the small putti so common in 18th-century decorations.

An exceptional pair for its rarity, its refinement and its tasteful sobriety, while forming a particularly decorative ensemble.
The electrified headdress consisting of a glass pineapple placed on a crown of painted metal leaves was added in the 19th or early 20th century.
The Nubians are sold on their custom-made bases of leather-covered wood, 55 cm high.