it
Carved wooden putto, Central Italy, first half of the 16th century. Original mecca gilding. Fragment from a larger carved wooden structure. Never restored. 50 × 33 × 90 cm.
This sculpture is unmistakably Renaissance. At a glance, it reveals the distinctive character of Central Italian wood carving from the first half of the sixteenth century.
The figure is carved in a broad twisting pose, with the torso opening upwards. Seen at close range, its proportions may seem unusual, but that was exactly the sculptor's intention. It was designed to be placed high above the viewer, as part of a larger carved wooden structure, and seen from below. From that viewpoint, everything falls naturally into place: the movement, the posture and even the expression of the face.
The face itself is unmistakably Renaissance. Strong, direct and more expressive than graceful, it reflects the artistic language of the period long before the softer, more sentimental putti of later centuries.
The surface retains its original mecca gilding, a technique widely used between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A layer of silver leaf was coated with a transparent golden varnish known as mecca, creating the warm, mellow glow that still gives the sculpture its distinctive appearance today.
It is worth turning the piece around. The unfinished back and the original mounting point immediately show that this figure was never intended to stand on its own. It once formed part of a much larger carved wooden structure, probably an altarpiece, a tabernacle, a baldachin or a large decorative frame.
The original gilding survives together with the natural losses accumulated over nearly five centuries. The sculpture has never been restored. Its surface, patina and every sign of age remain entirely authentic.
Five hundred years ago it was just one element within a much larger work. Today, this fragment alone is enough to reveal the quality of the carving from which it came.
- Material: Carved and gilded wood
- Size: cm 50 x 33 x 90 (H)
- Condition: Restored
- Period: 17th century
- Style: Louis XIV
- State: Good conditions
