18th Century Italian Majolica Mirror-Frames with Courtly Figures
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A pair of north Italian polychrome decorated Majolica Mirror-Frames, 18th century, probably Le Nove Di Bassano, each moulded with an acanthus spray finial and conforming sides with a bearded mask terminal, the reverse-etched mirror plates with a lady and gentleman in courtly dress, height 70 cm. Provenance: The Robert Compton Jones Collection. Literature: Levy, S, 'Maioliche Settecentesche Lombarde e Venete', Milan, 1962, pl. 286 and pl. 287 (similar)
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- Polychrome - Made or finished in many colours. For furniture, it is used to indicated a painted finish.
- Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.
Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins. - Acanthus - A stylized leaf motif, one of the primary decorative elements of classical Greek and Roman architecture, derived from the genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Mediterranean area. It is a common element in classical Greek and Roman design, and is often seen in Corinthian and Composite order columns and used as a decorative element in English, European and Australian furniture, particularly on the curve of a leg, and as decoration for a corbel.
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