Stem - Baroque base in turned wood and gilded stucco - Italy (Tuscany), 19th century
Italian Giltwood Altar Floral Stand
Antique religious altar bouquet stem made of turned and carved wood, covered with a stucco undercoating (gesso) and gilded.
Lack of gesso and gilding in some places, which is precisely why the white gesso appears under the gilding.
Traces of use and visible gaps in stucco
Description
Stem - Baroque base in turned wood and gilded stucco - Italy (Tuscany), 19th century
Italian Giltwood Altar Floral Stand
Antique religious altar bouquet stem made of turned and carved wood, covered with a stucco undercoating (gesso) and gilded.
The central knot features a decoration carved in a corolla of stylized acanthus foliage, resting on a circular molded base.
Originally intended to maintain compositions of church flowers in painted sheet metal and glassware, this base has a beautiful patina of time with its wear and small jumps of gilding characteristic.
Wooden and gilded metal chancel bouquets (often called altar bouquets or bouquets of fervor) are objects of sacred art typical of the Counter-Reformation and the Baroque period, particularly widespread in Tuscan churches.
These pieces, fixed on the altar or near the tabernacle, were used to glorify the divine permanently at a time when fresh flowers were rare and expensive in winter.
Here, it is only thestem that supported the metal flowers.
Lack of gesso and gilding in some places, which is precisely why the white gesso appears under the gilding.
Origin: Tuscany, Italy
Period: 19th century
Materials: Turned wood, priming stucco, gilding
Dimensions: Height 20cm - Diameter of the base: 8.5cm
Condition: Traces of use and visible gaps in stucco, indicating its authenticity.
