Large Candlestick With A Venetian Moretto Figure, Venice, Late 19th Century

Large parterre torch holder (or ‘guéridon-mordieu’) depicting a Moorish gondolier, carved from wood, polychromed and partially gilded, holding a twisted torch surmounted by a six-armed light fixture in embossed and gilded sheet metal, resting on an octagonal pedestal base painted to resemble marble.
Italy, Venice. Late 19th or early 20th century.
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Good condition. 

This type of indoor statuary, commonly known as the ‘Venetian Moor’ (Moretto veneziano), is a classic of Venetian decorative arts. Dressed in a bright red tunic embellished with gold trim and a drape tied at the waist, the figure strikes a dynamic and elegant pose, typical of the servants and gondoliers depicted in the palatial tradition of the Most Serene Republic.

Our work follows in the great tradition of Venetian woodcarving, exemplified by master ornamentalists such as Andrea Brustolon, whose theatrical and spectacular creations fuelled the international craze for neo-baroque furniture in the late 19th century.