 |
 |
 |
|
|
WELCOME TO PELHAM GALLERIES |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| An Austrian or South German Baroque Carved Giltwood and Polychrome Mirror
|
Possibly Innsbruck, Circa 1700
Height: 5 ft. (152.5 cm)
Width: 3 ft. 1 ½ in. (95 cm)
|
| |
|
The original rectangular plate within a moulded frame, the crest with a standing knight in armour holding a halberd within a shell cartouche surmounted by an Adelskrone coronet, decorated all round with boldly carved acanthus scrolls and green lacquered foliate garlands, with a polychrome ribbon-tied rose and pomegranate garland above and ribbon-tied sunflower and lily nosegay below.
The decorative repertory of this unusually well-preserved mirror represents a fusion of tradition and innovation in the decorative arts of German-speaking lands in the Baroque period. In additional to the knight in armour and noble coronet, the elaborate acanthus frame betrays the lingering influence of Gothic art, as similar foliate ornamentation was a key element in German late medieval carving, both architecturally in stone column capitals, friezes, and window surrounds, and in carved decoration on wooden cabinets, chests, and overdoors; see, for example, the giltwood spandrels above the door to the Goldene Stube in Salzburg Castle (ill. in Heinrich Kreisel and Georg Himmelheber, Die Kunst des Deutschen Möbels, Munich 1981, Vol. I, fig.86-87).
The sheer exuberance of the bold acanthus carving, however, also reflects a knowledge of contemporary trends in late 17th-century Italian Baroque art, and comparable use of acanthus scrolls integrating flowerheads is seen on console tables and mirrors throughout Italy, particularly in Rome (examples ill. in Enrico Colle, Il Mobile Barocco in Italia, Milan 2000, p.104-113). Although similar console tables and mirrors were produced in several German centres, including Berlin, the Rhineland, Bamberg and Hesse (ill. Kreisel and Himmelheber, Vol.I, figs.622-3, 625, 693-96), this mirror is likely to emanate from a Southern German or Austrian region with traditionally strong Italian links, such as the Tyrol.
The Adelskrone, also known as the Helms- or Laubkrone, was a crown used in the Holy Roman Empire to denote the noble title of a Knight, but below the rank of Duke, Prince, Count and Baron. It consisted of eight tines of which five were normally depicted in visual representations, showing a coronet with leaves in the centre flanked by two pearls and leaves at the ends.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|