PLAQUE DITE " CAPEZZALE " in coral, mother-of-pearl,... - Lot 164 - Osenat

Lot 164
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Estimation :
8000 - 12000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 13 750EUR
PLAQUE DITE " CAPEZZALE " in coral, mother-of-pearl,... - Lot 164 - Osenat
PLAQUE DITE " CAPEZZALE " in coral, mother-of-pearl, bluish glass, semi-precious stones and gilded copper on wooden core. SICILY, TRAPANI - End of the 17th century - Beginning of the 18th century Height 28.5 cm - Width 26.5 cm Coral was, at the time of the flowering of the Trapanese workshops, a magical material. It is Ovid who tells us the secret of its birth. The poet tells us that when Perseus decapitated the Gorgon Medusa, the blood that flowed from her head was petrified and changed into coral. Following the frequent shift from ancient myth to Christian mystery, the coral becomes in Catholic iconography a symbol of the blood of Christ and the Redemption. From there it is attributed magical properties. Used as a talisman, it is readily given an apotropaic function, it is recognized as having the power to solve problems of bleeding, fertility and even in the Renaissance, the gift of detecting poison in food. Coral has therefore always been a highly prized material that is used both in its natural form and sculpted to create complex art objects. The production of coral art is documented in the Renaissance in several European centers, including Landshut in Bavaria, Spain and Sicily. Because of its rarity, its virtues and the growing interest in natural sciences in Europe, coral became one of the most popular materials for the creation of art objects for princely cabinets of curiosity. The most famous center of production of coral works, by its quality and finesse of execution, is Trapani, a small town on the seaside on the west coast of Sicily. It owes its development to the Court of the Viceroy who ordered all sorts of fantasies from the craftsmen. The production of Trapani is characterized by the use of small elements of carved coral of different shapes, mounted on gilded copper supports and sometimes combined with enamels to obtain various effects. Due to its geographical position and rich natural resources including large coral reefs, Trapani became one of the main commercial ports in the Mediterranean. The growth of a prosperous merchant class, combined with a wealthy clergy, contributed to the large-scale development of goldsmithing and coral working as early as the 16th century. The installation in 1628 in the city of the guild of coral craftsmen, the Arte dei corallari, testifies to the strong demand for these objects. Coral objects, mostly religious, such as crucifixes, capezalle, monstrances, liturgical objects and vestments, holy water fonts and altars, were mainly acquired by church treasuries, while secular objects, such as mirror frames, tazze or vases, everyday objects and miniature furniture were acquired by courts and members of the nobility. Coral, considered precious and rare in the 16th century, was offered as a diplomatic gift throughout the European courts.
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