Pair Of Baroque Solomonic Columns With Vine Tendrils And Bunches Of Grapes

A pair of Solomonic columns made of carved and polychrome wood, dating from the 17th century.

The twisted shaft of each column is adorned with an abundant decoration of vine tendrils winding in a spiral. The elaborately carved leaves and numerous bunches of grapes rendered in high relief lend the entire composition a particularly lively quality. The columns are crowned with Corinthian-inspired capitals.

The Solomonic column became one of the defining motifs of the Baroque style in the 17th century. Its helical form enjoyed immense popularity in Italy following the completion, between 1624 and 1633, of Bernini’s famous baldachin in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, whose four monumental twisted columns helped spread this style throughout European Baroque art.

In religious furnishings, these columns were frequently incorporated into altarpieces and altar decorations, arranged on either side of a painting, a sculpture, or a central niche. In this context, vine branches and grape clusters take on special significance, as the vine and wine are closely associated with Eucharistic symbolism.

Given their height of 128 cm, their religious decoration, and their design intended for integration into an architectural ensemble, this pair likely originated from a Baroque altarpiece or altar decoration.

17th century.

Height: 128 cm.

Carved and polychrome wood.

Damage and missing parts.