A Lacquered And Gilded Wooden Monstrance Reliquary Of St. Francis Of Assisi.

Lacquered and gilded wooden reliquary and monstrance of St. Francis of Assisi.
This Neoclassical piece combines the decorative opulence typical of the Baroque style—featuring volutes, gilding, and cherubs—with the symmetry and more austere geometric base characteristic of Neoclassicism.
Carved wood, lacquered in white/ivory and partially gilded with gold leaf.
The wooden base is finished to resemble marble. Above the white-lacquered section runs a frame featuring a succession of fully gilded ovule motifs, while on the sides are two large inverted scrolls covered in gold.
The junction between the shaft and the upper section is adorned with the head of a winged angel (cherub) finely carved and gilded, which appears to support the sacred reliquary.
Inside is a relic of St. Francis of Assisi, consisting of a bone fragment and surrounded by sacred filaments.
Charming patina of age.
Italy, last quarter of the 18th century