Pair of "blackamoor" torchbearers; Venice, 19th century

Pair of torcheros "blackamoor"; Venice, 19th century.
Polychrome wood and partially gilded.
Measurements: 175 cm (height).

Pair of torcheros as round wooden sculptures known as "blackamoore". It is clear the influence of neoclassicism in these sculptures, not only by the modeling of the carving, which shows a perfect knowledge of classical anatomy, but also by the elegant pose adopted by the figure, which stands out for a great stylization and ornamentation of their clothing.

This type of theme, or representation of characters of oriental character, began to develop in the aesthetic currents of Venice in the seventeenth century, reaching a great success in the following centuries. It came to dominate different areas of the decorative arts, which was initiated by the cabinetmaker and sculptor Andrea Brustolon (1662 - 1732). His furniture was characterized by the abundant presence of sculpture, often even in the round. His most characteristic figures were the Nubians as ebonized and painted, which served as supports for large pieces of furniture, or appeared in free-standing form.

These figures were so popular throughout Europe that they became a key element in luxury Baroque furniture until well into the eighteenth century and, within the historicism, during the nineteenth century. They are pieces of exceptional carving quality, conceived as independent works of art. They remained a typical Venetian production, which is why in the 19th century they were represented, as in this example, as gondoliers. The iconography is the result of the taste for the exotic that characterized the eighteenth century, and that had continuity during the nineteenth century through the romantic spirit, which liked to reflect and fantasize about everything that was different and distant, both in time and space.

This lot recreates the idealized eighteenth-century Venetian world, which symbolized in the new industrial century an elegance and luxury that could never be recovered. This type of pieces were worked in a meticulous and exquisite way, paying as much attention to the carving as to the polychromy, which reproduces in a free and fanciful way rich embroidered fabrics.