Pair Of Bas-reliefs Based On An Episode From The Bible 18th Century

Pair of carved panels in gilded wood depicting two pastoral scenes that seem to recount an episode from the Bible or a popular legend.

One panel shows a bearded man draped in a cloak, holding a staff, facing a peasant accompanied by a cart pulled by two animals under a tree. The second shows a related scene, the return of the cart, with a figure discovering a man lying in the cart, accompanied by two oxen, facing the figure in the previous panel, and who appears to be a churchman.

The iconography evokes an episode from the Bible, an allegorical reading of pastoral life, work and the life of fields and peasants in a popular devotional language.

The shell-shaped corners are reminiscent of decorative woodwork from the 17th and 18th centuries, with a strong provincial Baroque influence. The naïve yet expressive treatment of the faces, the frontality of the figures and the bas-relief composition reinforce this impression.

Probably French or southern European work, 17th-18th century.

Very good condition overall, minor chips and wear in gilding