A PAIR OF VENETIAN EBONISED, GILT AND POLYCHROME-DECORATED BLACKAMOOR FIGURAL TORCHERES
Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more THE PROPERTY OF A LADY
A PAIR OF VENETIAN EBONISED, GILT AND POLYCHROME-DECORATED BLACKAMOOR FIGURAL TORCHERES

MID 19TH CENTURY

Details
A PAIR OF VENETIAN EBONISED, GILT AND POLYCHROME-DECORATED BLACKAMOOR FIGURAL TORCHERES
MID 19TH CENTURY
Modelled as female and male figures wearing robes painted with flowers and arabesques, with mother-of-pearl eyes and ivory teeth, each supporting a dish on their head, on a draped octagonal pedestal and conforming spreading base, refreshments to decoration
58 5/8 in. (149 cm.) high (2)
Provenance
Acquired from Partridge, 1954.
Special notice
Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Giles Forster
Giles Forster

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Lot Essay

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.

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