The quality of this nice pair of bronze doorknockers with dark patina is mainly due to their formal richness: a lyre-shaped body with arms adorned by foliages and vegetal scrolls among which – in the centre and in correspondence of the knocking element – appears the mask of a satyr with goat horns. Leonine and …
At first sight, this refined and curious object might look like a pistol but it is in fact a remarkable example of a mechanical tinder lighter designed for domestic use or, more precisely, a tinder-pistol. The piece examined here just looks like a small pistol, with an elegantly shaped walnut wood body on which different …
This rare coat of arms of a Cardinal, carved in low relief, painted and gilded, is the heraldic shield of Don Luis Manuel Fernandez de Portocarrero Bocanegra y Moscoso-Osorio (1635 -1709), a prominent figure in the history of Spain and then also in that of Sicily. Shields like this were located in representative places and …
This remarkable doorknocker, with its warm and attractive brown patina, is made up of a body in the shape of a hammer and a back plate. The rectangular back plate, cut-out and knurled on the profile, shows at the top a lily-shaped motif and it’s provided with a pair of symmetrical, repoussé and engraved half-columns, …
The charm of this millefleurs tapestry, woven in wool and silk, is enhanced by a medallion placed just in the middle of a dense field of small bouquets, laying over a warm tones background. The medallion is made of a floral wreath with fruits, ribbons and masks, encircling a mountain landscape with woods, a castle, a small …
A vase, resting in the centre of a rectangular plate, houses a thick tuft of leaves, above which stands another little vase with a rich bouquet of tiny roses. Leaning back against the vase sides, there are two symmetrical mermaids with scaled and curled tails with a trilobed finial, sitting with arms folded over their …
This two remarkable medallions feature a frame with a rich weave of silver filigree scrolls forming two wreaths: on the outer ring there are rosettes consisting of a full silver bead and a series of flattened petals, while the inner crown is characterized by a series of coloured gems, enclosed by bezels, mimicking an alternation …
This rare and precious little wooden box is a perfect embodiment of the medieval casket. The piece features a rectangular base with a moulded plinth, a parallelepiped body and a tapered lid with sloping edges and concave sides, slightly sticking out from the body upon which it rests. The lid refers to a type of …
This intriguing ironwork belongs to the so-called à moraillon kind of locks, designed for closing chests and coffers, and quite common in the Gothic and Late Gothic periods, especially in the French and Spanish areas. The present one shows a typical quadrangular shape and a warm brown patina; moreover, it has a rather unusual and rare decorative …
This small and precious rectangular brass casket -completely gilded both outside and inside- shows a stepped base, a domed lid and a front enriched by two reverse-painted oval rock crystals, set into bezels: the left one depicts the Annunciation and the right one depicts the Nativity. The entire outer surface of the casket is finely engraved with interwoven …