Gilded Wooden Tabernacle – Lombardy, Italy – 17th Century

This sumptuous reliquary frame, carved from wood and gilded, of Lombard origin, is representative of the artistic production of Northern Italy in the late 16th century. It is attributed to the circle of Andrea Fantoni, a leading figure in Baroque sculpture in the Bergamo region. With its rich ornamentation and masterful carving, it fully embodies the Baroque taste for movement, theatricality, and decorative profusion.

The creation of this type of reliquary frame is part of a religious tradition deeply rooted in private and domestic piety. Intended to house a relic, a sacred image, or a small devotional object, it contributes to the spread of a more intimate spirituality, encouraged following the Council of Trent. These objects are not merely decorative elements: they serve as genuine vehicles of spiritual mediation, allowing the faithful to maintain a direct connection with the sacred.

Unlike the more sober frames of the Renaissance, this one adopts a typically Baroque composition, characterized by an abundance of ornamentation. The composition centers on a rectangular opening, framed by a richly architectural structure. The deeply carved volutes coil energetically, creating an interplay of curved lines that animates the entire surface. This decorative style, known as cartoccio, is characteristic of Lombard sculpture from this period and aims to produce particularly striking effects of light and shadow.

On either side of the sculpture are two winged figures in high relief, resembling putti. Their full faces, slightly idealized features, and hair rendered in thick strands attest to precise craftsmanship and a recurring motif in Fantoni’s workshop. These figures are not merely ornamental: they contribute to the object’s sanctification, acting as intermediaries between the faithful and the spiritual contents of the reliquary.

The upper crown, openwork and richly carved, reinforces the composition’s upward movement. It guides the eye upward in a typically Baroque gesture that suggests an ascent toward the divine. Conversely, the lower section, marked by broad volutes and plant motifs, anchors the object in a dense materiality. This balance between ascending movement and material grounding, architecture and ornamentation, contributes to the work’s visual tension. This is not merely a frame, but a work of art in its own right, in which every element—scrolls, figures, and decorative motifs—contributes to a representation of the sacred.

The surface treatment also deserves special attention. The background is entirely adorned with dense granulation and floral motifs, designed to capture light and visually enrich the material. The gold leaf gilding, applied over a ground prepared in a bowl, lends the piece a dazzling luster, now patinated by time. The visible signs of wear, moreover, add to the object’s charm.

Carved entirely from a single block of walnut, this work reveals extraordinary technical virtuosity: the complexity of the deeply hollowed-out scrolls requires absolute mastery of the material. Such a high level of craftsmanship exceeds that of standard production and points to the hand of a highly skilled sculptor.

Unlike monumental sculpture, this work is on a more intimate scale, while retaining a remarkable artistic ambition.

This work can be compared to pieces produced in the Bergamo region in the late 16th century, particularly those from the Fantoni workshop. This dynasty of sculptors played a fundamental role in the development of woodcarving in Lombardy, producing everything from monumental altarpieces to more modest devotional objects. The frame presented here appears to be part of this workshop’s output, where models were reproduced and adapted according to commissions.

Thus, through the quality of its carving, the richness of its decoration, and the coherence of its formal language, this reliquary frame stands as a particularly representative example of Baroque art in Northern Italy. It embodies both the virtuosity of the Lombard workshops and the importance accorded to devotional objects in the artistic and religious culture of its time.