Rare Carved And Gilded Wooden Base – Late 16th/early 17th Century. South Italia

Rare carved and gilded wooden base – Late 16th/Early 17th century.

This precious piece of liturgical furniture, probably intended to support a reliquary bust or a candelabrum, testifies to the refinement of southern Italian production between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It is distinguished by its vigorous Mannerist-style carving, characterized by scrolls and winged cherub heads framing a central volute. The original gold leaf gilding, enhanced by a splendid patina, covers a solid wooden core that attests to its age and the high quality of its execution.

A southern origin (Neapolitan or Sicilian) is highly probable. The ample style of the scrolls and the use of dark, compact wood are distinctive characteristics of the viceroyalty craftsmen, who were able to combine the rigor of late Mannerism with a vigorous and theatrical plasticity that foreshadows the Baroque.