Very large Italian mirror with allegories of abundance and music

A very large 18th-century Italian mirror, carved and gilded, with exuberant Baroque decoration.

The richness of its entirely openwork composition testifies to exceptional craftsmanship. The scrolls, branches, and figures all seem animated in a movement of dance and joy.

Its pediment features a majestic female figure, elegantly draped, surrounded by putti playing music or carrying garlands.
Two of them, with outstretched wings, are draped in the classical style.

The sides of the frame are decorated with a profusion of motifs: ears of corn, knots, scrolls, fruit, foliage, and flowers... in a controlled and symmetrical composition.

A musical putto completes the decoration on each side, at the center.
At the base, a putto, standing on foliage, holding fruit in one hand and draped in the other, reinforces the festive and allegorical dimension of the whole.

Such is the symbolism that Italian tradition loves to reveal. Here we find the allegory of abundance, expressed through a multitude of attributes: Grace herself, holding in her left hand a lavishly laurel wreath, wearing on her head a large crown of blooming flowers, and in her right arm holding a cornucopia from which a multitude of flowers spill.

The putto to her right holds what appears to be a quiver, while the one to her left holds a serpent, perhaps a symbol of the caduceus in relation to its own wings.
Each of the other putti respectively holds a musical instrument, an ear of corn, and various fruits, attributes of abundance, celebration, and spring.

The generous and luminous gilding magnifies the depth of the sculpture and reveals the extreme precision of the workmanship.
This sumptuous mirror is a high testament to the Italian taste for theatricality, symbolism, and movement.

It is teeming with life, both in its its size of nearly 2 meters and in its symbolic elements, the rich sculptural work, and the abundance of gilding.

A very fine 18th-century Italian piece of considerable size.

Original mercury mirror and original gilding.

Dimensions: H 194 cm x W 123 cm x D 30 cm