Attributed to Valentino Panciera Besarel (1829-1902), Carved Torchère, Depicting a Jester, holding a Circular Bowl, Raised on Circular Plinth (Italian). Valentino Panciera, known as Besarel, was born in Belluno but received his artistic education in Venice, where he studied drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts. He successfully experimented with figurative sculpture and is considered one of the leading figures in the Neo-Baroque revival in Veneto and beyond, inspired by the carvings of his fellow countryman Andrea Brustolon (1662-1732), an unrivalled master of this art (though he also drew inspiration from Renaissance models, as in the case of our musician). He began his workshop activity around the 1860s and participated, among others, in the National Exhibitions of Florence in 1861 and Milan in 1881, as well as the Universal Exhibition of Vienna in 1873. These experiences earned him fame and success even beyond Italy''''s borders, so much so that he became a supplier to...