Neo-Gothic frame; Germany, c. 1840.

Neo-Gothic frame; Germany, c. 1840.
Gilt bronze and KPM enameled porcelain plate.
Portable oratory.
Measurements: 19 x 12 cm (plate); 40 x 31 x 2 x 2 cm.
This German neo-Gothic gilt bronze frame is an ornamental piece of great decorative richness, characteristic of the revival of medieval art that took place in the 19th century. The frame presents a vertical and elongated structure, topped by a central pinnacle that imitates the towers and spires of Gothic cathedrals. Along its contour, flying buttresses, openwork tracery, pointed arches and floral details are displayed, all meticulously worked in gilded bronze that highlights the reliefs with a warm and luminous patina. On the inside there is a porcelain plaque featuring the image of the Virgin as Immaculate Conception.
These types of frames not only framed portraits, miniatures or devotional images, but were also symbols of cultural and aesthetic prestige, highly valued in the context of the historicist revival of the nineteenth century, when the admiration for the Middle Ages deeply influenced the decorative arts, especially in countries like Germany.