TRAPANI, LATE 17TH CENTURY
TRAPANI, LATE 17TH CENTURY
TRAPANI, LATE 17TH CENTURY
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TRAPANI, LATE 17TH CENTURY
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PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION
TRAPANI, LATE 17TH CENTURY

A devotional plaque with Saint Francis

Details
TRAPANI, LATE 17TH CENTURY
A devotional plaque with Saint Francis
coral, mounted in an enamel and gilt-copper framing; the verso engraved with Saint Francis surrounded by foliate scrolls
19 ½ in. (49 cm.) x 141⁄7 in. (36 cm.)
Provenance
Collection Luigi Koelliker,
The Luigi Koelliker Studiolo; Sotheby's, London, 3 December 2008, lot 50.
Hôtel Lambert, Une Collection Princière, Volume II: Kunstkammer; Sotheby's, Paris, 12 October 2022, lot 263.
Literature
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
A. Dameu, L'Arte Trapanese del Corallo, Milan, 1964.
G. C. Ascione, Gloria del Corallo a Napoli dal XVI al XIX Secolo, Naples, 1991.
Museo di Capodimonte e Museo Pignatelli, Civiltà del seicento a Napoli, Naples, 1985.
Museo Regionale Pepoli, Coralli, Talismani Sacri e Profani, Trapani, 1986, nos. 76 and 82.
M. Concetta Di Natale, Il Corallo Trapanese nei secoli XVI e XVII, Brescia, 2002, no. 17, pp. 56-57.

Brought to you by

Lucy Speelman
Lucy Speelman Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

Lot Essay

The Trapani workshops, particularly prominent from the 16th to the 18th century, were renowned for their intricate coral artistry. Situated in the Sicilian town of Trapani, these workshops capitalized on coral's perceived prophylactic properties during the Renaissance. The belief that coral had the power to resolve health issues and detect poison made it highly valued beyond its aesthetic appeal. The artisans of Trapani created a wide array of objects, from religious artifacts and jewelry to decorative pieces, skillfully integrating both worked and natural coral into their designs.

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