MID 19TH CENTURY

This pair of painted figures is a fine example of the stylised depiction of black Africans popular in sculpture, furniture and objets d'art until the late 19th century. The use of the blackamoor as a decorative motif can be traced back to the Italian Renaissance, when families would use the image of the moor as a pun on their name in heraldic devises. Traditionally, Renaissance and Baroque sculptors and furniture makers incorporated blackamoors as servants within torcheres, candelabras, tables and statues. The blackness of the figure was often accentuated by bright colours in the accoutrements, such as in the head wrap, tunic or jewellery, to emphasise the blackamoor's exotic nature.