Carpi, Mid-17th Century, Scagliola Panel

Carpi, mid-17th century, scagliola panel.

The panel, two-tone black and white, has inserts of marbled polychrome elements and a central scene depicting Saint Michael defeating the devil.
The decorative motif is inspired by the famous painting by the Bolognese painter Guido Reni with the Archangel Michael, leader of the heavenly armies and the one who weighs the souls subject to judgment. The Archangel tramples the devil, depicted with human features that mix with faun features, a snake tail and clawed hands. The wings that can still be seen on the devil’s body could be a vestige of his past as an angel: the eternal struggle between Good and Evil.

“It should be remembered that, if for the decorative parts that appeared on the facades and on the edges of the table tops, the intervention of the workers in the workshops was very frequent, for the figurative parts, as in the case of this devotional panel, it is the masters who contribute directly to the realization” (extract from “Antique furniture in Emilia Romagna” by Graziano Manni).

Very good state of conservation, original wrought iron hook, signs of the times compatible with the period.

Measurements
H cm 44
L cm 33