{"product_id":"antique-carved-giltwood-cherub-wall-bracket-french-or-italian-18th-to-19th-century","title":"Antique Carved Giltwood Cherub Wall Bracket, French or Italian, 18th to 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eA piece of carved giltwood architectural salvage centered on a winged cherub head, a tête d'ange, set into acanthus scrolls beneath a small shelf. Above the cherub run two bands of classical ornament, a row of egg-and-dart and below it a band of bead-and-reel. The winged cherub head was one of the most common motifs in European religious and decorative carving, standing in for the heavenly host on altars, retables, organ cases, and frames.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe construction confirms its age. Under the gold is a white gesso ground, then a reddish clay layer called bole, then water-gilded gold leaf, which is why the gold survives bright in the protected hollows and wears to red and bare wood on the raised points. The back shows the wood carcass with old canvas scrim bridging the joints, old worm holes, and hanging hardware. The flat shelf board appears to be a later addition that turned a carved fragment into a usable bracket.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCondition is honest salvage: extensive losses to the gesso and gilding, chalky worn surfaces, exposed bole and wood, and old worm holes, all consistent with age and use.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDimensions: 5.5 by 10 by 4.5 inches.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStyling: mount it on a wall as a small shelf for a single object, a bust, or a stack of tiny books, or lean it on a shelf as a sculptural fragment.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Foundresse","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56583098597542,"sku":null,"price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0637\/7645\/6870\/files\/6A1E6C8A-C857-4F69-8046-D4B8BA3A4338.jpg?v=1780678357","url":"https:\/\/foundresse.com\/products\/antique-carved-giltwood-cherub-wall-bracket-french-or-italian-18th-to-19th-century","provider":"foundresse","version":"1.0","type":"link"}