Pedestal; France, second half of the 19th century.

Pedestal; France, second half of the nineteenth century.
Polychrome stucco.
Presents faults and wear.
Measurements: 73 x 47 cm.
19th century pedestal made of modeled and polychrome stucco. The piece presents a clear Renaissance inspiration, visible in the use of acanthus leaves, masks and angels as part of the ornamentation of the piece. This type of pedestal has been used since antiquity to house figures, mainly religious and clothed, which fell on the pedestal in a graceful manner. These architectural pieces were common in the Spanish Baroque period. From this moment on, and with numerous decorative variations, they became a characteristic element of architecture. The most common was to decorate them with bunches of grapes and vine leaves, in clear allusion to the Body and Blood of Christ, key elements in the Salvation of Humanity, although, more towards the eighteenth and nineteenth century, there will be other examples that add leaves and roses or flowers, responding, surely to the evolution of taste.