Valentino Besarel Pair of Carved Italian Venetian Figures

A Fine and Imposing Pair of Large-Scale Carved Walnut Venetian Figures in Elaborate Costume by Valentino Besarel (1829-1902)

Provenance

By repute the collection of Harvey c. Wheeler, owner of the Initial Towel Supply Company in Boston, who died in 1947

Two carved figures, one female and one male, carrying matching caps in their hands and clearly produced as a pendant pair.

The male figure stands upon a set of three stairs with beautifully carved strapwork designs on the sides and the treads against a stippled ground. He carries a book in one hand and wears a short sword or dagger around his waist. The folds of his costume are beautifully carved with remarkable realism and certain parcel gilt highlights are used to suggest gold bands on his arms and a belt buckle on his waist. His ruffled collar is superbly carved but perhaps the most impressive of all the details might be the way the tongue of the belt drapes down over and around the sword, the pose being incredibly true to life and difficult to achieve in a carving.

The female figure seems to wear more modern clothing than her male counterpart, her style of dress seemingly echoing some of the outfits worn by the likes of the great Parisian actress Sarah Bernhardt and her contemporaries. She wears high laced boots with platform heals and stands upon a carved pedestal which has been "covered" by a carved, draped textile, such as a silk throw, with an all-over striped pattern. The way the pattern flows across the numerous creases and folds created by the sculptor is endlessly interesting to the viewer. The lady's costume is cinched in at the waist with a belt from which a purse on a chain is suspended. She wears a pearl necklace and further pearls are perched on the front of her magnificent coiffure. The ruffled shoulders of her outfit are particularly finely sculpted and carved.

These figures may be seen as part of the fashion for page figures, often either acting as torcheres or holding platters and acting as dumb waiters, a style of interior decoration that seems to have originated in Italy, the Venetian Moorish figures being particularly famous. Also in this tradition are dummy boards, two dimensional painted boards in the form of figures which, according to some, were designed to scare off burglars but are now believed by most sources to have been a form of amusing household decoration. The present figures fall somewhat between these two traditions but their extraordinarily fine quality is due to their having been produced by a sculptor rather than simply a decorative carver.

It is likely that the two figures depicted here are intended to be theatrical characters but, regardless, they certainly add an air of theatricality to any interior, making it playful and intriguing at the same time.

Although unsigned, we are certain that these figures originate from the workshop of Valentino Panciera Besarel (1829-1902). A 2002 exhibition, "Valentino Panciera Besarel (1829-1902): storia e arte di una bottega d’intaglio in Veneto” (Belluno), explored the artist's mastery of form and carving. Part of a dynasty of carvers and sculptors stretching back centuries. Besarel was famous enough to earn mentions in the English newspapers and magazines of the day. An article in Life, 27th of October 1881, reads as follows:

'Valentino Besarel is conspicuous for his beautifully carved furniture. He exhibited at the Milan Exhibition a frame bought by H. R. H. the Prince of Wales. Besarel is an artist whose talent has been transmitted to him from many a generation, for this family of sculptors dates from the middle of the 17th century'.

In his 1891 guide to Venice, Augustus John Cuthbert Hare recommended:

'Travellers should visit the Atelier (2795 Canal Grande) of Valentino Besarel. It is only in Italy that you find this interesting type of untaught artist of unerring taste, whose art is the sole object and interest of his life.

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