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Lot Essay
The finely sculpted trophy medallion, celebrating the triumph of Christianity, has its ormolu frame wreathed in bas-relief with a ribbon-guilloche of love's dart besides the French trefoiled lily . The trophy comprises palms and laurels accompanying a shield, emblematic of the Trinity, together with the tablets of the law, bible, and Papal tiara and ancient cross as well as the Roman fasces, emblematic of good government.
The medallion was probably executed in the Turin workshop of Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo (1745-1820). Appointed wood carver to Victor Amadeus III in 1787, Bonzanigo is rightfully regarded as the greatest carver at the Court of the Savoia's and his roundels are particularly celebrated.
A related bas-relief trophy, celebrating the cardinal art of Poetry (Poesis) and composed in the Louis XVI style popularised by the engravings of Jean-Charles Delafosse (d.1791), has been dated to around 1800 and is in the Museo Civico, Asti (C. Bertolotto & V. Villani, Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo, Turin, 1989, no. 15).
The medallion was probably executed in the Turin workshop of Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo (1745-1820). Appointed wood carver to Victor Amadeus III in 1787, Bonzanigo is rightfully regarded as the greatest carver at the Court of the Savoia's and his roundels are particularly celebrated.
A related bas-relief trophy, celebrating the cardinal art of Poetry (Poesis) and composed in the Louis XVI style popularised by the engravings of Jean-Charles Delafosse (d.1791), has been dated to around 1800 and is in the Museo Civico, Asti (C. Bertolotto & V. Villani, Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo, Turin, 1989, no. 15).