Chest front
Unknown
ca. 1550–70 · Carved walnut · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
The panel features a pair of fabulous female figures with extremities in the shape of scrolling tendrils, the longest of which end in cornucopias. The tilted heads draw attention to a wreath enclosing a shield that may have once contained a coat of arms. From the figures’ windswept curls to the ribbons on the wreath, swirling forms heighten the composition’s liveliness. Corresponding to a Renaissance reinterpretation of ancient imagery, the decoration may have been inspired by northern or Italian prints, which frequently served as models for the carvings adorning French chests.
- Artist
- Unknown
- Date
- ca. 1550–70
- Medium
- Carved walnut
- Culture
- French
- Department
- European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
- Credit line
- The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931
