Large carved and gilded pediment mirror with painted biblical scenes — Naples, 19th century

Description

Large rectangular wall mirror made in Italy, in Naples, in the 19th century. Its openwork pediment in carved wood, gilded with gold leaf, combines acanthus scrolls and Rocaille volutes around a painted cartouche depicting a pastoral landscape. The broad flat frame in polychromed wood is decorated in oil with flowering scrolls, tulips, carnations and parrots with vivid plumage. Four shaped Rocaille cartouches, simulated in grisaille, present scenes drawn from Scripture: Moses holding up the Tablets of the Law, the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan, the meeting of Eliezer and Rebecca at the well, as well as a preaching scene. The ensemble brings together gilding with gold leaf, ornamental carving and decorative painting in an Italian reinterpretation of the Neapolitan Baroque repertoire of the 19th century.