A Polychrome Venitian Stand representing a Nubian Acrobat

This painted and varnished wooden saddle has a circular top supported by a sturdy foot depicting an acrobat. The contorted figure leans on his two arms while stretching his legs which support the upper part. This part represents a black tray delimited by a gilded festoon partially covered by a cloth. The fabric is folded on itself, giving it a nice draped movement. This part responds to the rectangular cushion that is the base on which the figure of the young Nubian rests. His face is treated in a smiling way, adding to the charm of this shimmering-coloured harness. The decorative program of this piece is particularly elaborate: from the figure's outfit to the details of the upper plate, the whole is a vast work of arabesques and various floral decorations, all supported by highlights of gilded paint. The turban of the acrobat contrasts with his outfit decorated with black arabesques on a golden background; the whole is enhanced by red and green flowers, delimited by fine borders. The golden accents in the carmine slippers of the saltimbanque's are the ultimate proof of the refinement of this piece.

It should also be noted that the entire stand is varnished, a reference to the lacquer work that was very successful in Venice at the end of the 17th century. This fascination for this art coming from the East conquered in one century the aristocrats and rich bourgeois of the City of the Doges who furnished their interiors with this furniture with a look of elsewhere. Artists and craftsmen thus collaborated in the elaboration of a furniture which is still distinguished by its lightness, its fantasy and its intense colours. Many objects could be lacquered: from toiletries to wedding chests, without forgetting the countless tables, consoles and "giridons". The motif of the black character is used extensively for the latter; as an atlantean under a saddle, carrying a torch on a mirror or supporting a table... Always dressed in oriental style and lacquered in bright colours. This craze for these black figures in 18th and 19th century Venetian decoration goes hand in hand with the widespread taste in Europe in the 19th century for the Orient and the fantasies it engendered.