A pair of Italian carved giltwood torchères attributed to Filippo Parodi (1630-1702), Genoese, first quarter 18th century

in the form of classical female figures in drapery holding aloft campana baskets of fruit, on rockwork bases

These exceptional sculptures are in good conserved condition. The original gilding displays an attractive tone, with minor losses, craquelure and age cracks. Restoration repairs consistent with age and use. Of superb quality and rarity, highly recommended.
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Comparative Literature:
Alvar González-Palacios, Il Mobile in Liguria, Genoa, 1996, fig. 81-22, p. 74-75; fig. 83-85, p. 78-79, fig. 102, p. 89.
Enrico Colle, Il Mobile Barocco in Italia, arredi e decorazioni d'Interni dal 1600 al 1738, Milan, 2000, no. 52, pp. 218-221.
Paola Rotondi Briasco, Filippo Parodi, Genoa, 1962, pl. 5-8. 

Giltwood torchères in the form of classical or allegorical figures were produced throughout the 17th and early 18^th centuries in Rome, Florence and Venice, however, it was in Genoa where the development of this specific type of sculpture reached its apogee.

Contemporary inventories of Genoese palazzi contain numerous references to reggitorciere, reggilume and portacandelabri that served as stands for candelabra or vases. However, the number of surviving examples is relatively small despite their obvious popularity and the majority are now in public collections or remain in situ in Genoese palaces, and the present pair represents an extremely rare example of this uniquely Italian type of carved furniture to be sold at auction.

It is well documented that the leading producer of such reggitorciere in Genoa at this time was the renowned baroque sculptor Filippo Parodi (1630-1702). The fact that a major artist such as Parodi would turn his hand to what would normally be viewed as mere woodcarving, is a clear manifestation of the contemporary aesthetic that esteemed functional objects of this sort not only as furniture but as true works of art. 

Parodi trained initially in Rome and was influenced by both Algardi and Bernini. Upon his return to Genoa in 1661, he worked for the Durazzo family, producing four marble statues based on characters from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, now in the Palazzo Reale, Genoa, illustrated by Paola Rotondi Briasco, op. cit., pl. 5-8.  He then went on to execute commissions throughout Northern Italy and his most famous works include the Cappella del Tesoro in the Basilica of St Anthony in Padua, and the funerary monument to Bishop Morosoni in San Nicolò da Tolentino, Venice. He also ran a thriving workshop, and among his assistants was the talented woodcarver Andrea Brustolon, who went on to become a seminal figure in the evolution of furniture design in his home city of Venice.

Among the surviving torchères that have been attributed to Parodi, the most closely-related examples to the present pair are the figure of Autumn in the Castello Sforzesco, Milan, illustrated by A.G.P. op. cit., fig. 102, p. 89, reproduced here in fig. 1 and a series of figures representing the four seasons in the Villa Durazzo, Albisola also illustrated by A.G.P. op. cit., fig. 81-22, p. 74-75; fig. 83-85, p. 78-79.  All these works exhibit a similarly exuberant stylisation of the hair, drapery and rockwork bases contrasted with a more naturalistic treatment of the faces, bodies, and fruit and flowers, as well as a particularly elegant sense of contrapposto alluding to Parodi’s Roman influences. Similar flowers and cornucopia of fruit also appear on a pair of triton and eagle vase stands in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Rome, that have been attributed to Parodi (González-Palacios, op. cit., p. 84, fig. 91-92). 

Highly distinctive rockwork bases of this type appear frequently on torchères of the period and ultimately derive their inspiration from Bernini, who employed the device on some of his sculptural pieces and notably in the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in the Piazza Navona, Rome. For illustrations of preparatory studies for the fountain and examples of Roman carved objects inspired by its design, see Colle, op. cit., p.100-101.  The artificial naturalism of the bases, which presages the rococo, is entirely consistent with Parodi’s style and reaches its fullest expression in what is arguably his most successful work in this genre, the ‘Narcissus’ Mirror and Console Table in the Villa Durazzo , illustrated by Colle op. cit., n. 52,p. 218-221. Here the rockwork base expands the full five-metre height of the mirror to create a vertical pond and grotto, brilliantly illustrating the artist’s consummate illusionism.  

It is not known whether Parodi was responsible for all the actual designs of his work, as he is believed to have collaborated with the prolific Genoese painter Domenico Piola (1627-1703) and Piola’s son-in-law Gregorio di Ferrari (1644-1726). The Piola family ran a large studio called the Casa Piola, which effectively monopolised the design and production of painted and stucco ceiling decoration in Genoa for much of the 17^th century. Two sculptors associated with the Casa Piola-Anton Maria Maragliano (1664-1739) and Bernardo Schiaffino (1678-1725)–are also known to have executed torchères in the manner of Parodi. Either artist could conceivably be the author of several surviving reggitorciere comparable to the present pair but by a different hand: a set of the Four Seasons in the Musée des Art Décoratifs, Paris, see Colle, op. cit.,  p. 218; a further set of four seasons divided among a private collection, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe (one illustrated by González-Palacios, op. cit., p. 90, fig. 104); and a pair of torchères more abstract in nature in the form of a single enormous acanthus scroll on a rockwork base, now in the Palazzo del Principe, Genoa, illustrated by Colle, op. cit., p. 230.