Wooden Tray, Arte Povera, Eighteenth Century, Venice.

wooden tray, Arte Povera, eighteenth century Venice. This oval tray is lacquered wood using a technique developed in Venice in the mid eighteenth century called "Arte Povera" or "Lacca Povera". On a background varnish, glue on colored engravings. The assembly is covered with several layers of clear lacquer, sandarac. Originally this technique was to imitate Asian lacquer very popular at that time but very expensive. Then the artists took more freedom. In Venice, all the palazzi were decorated with doors, drawers, cabinets, boxes, mirrors ... in arte povera. The taste for figures scenery evolves to floral decorations. But with the arrival of the neoclassical style, this technique is abandoned, too fancy and colors for the new neatest taste. Here, the decor combines characters and floral motifs. On stage, three women and two men dance. Two dogs accompany them. flower garlands are hung all around. Two birds flutter from either side of the group. A frieze of scrolls and scrolls hand-colored highlights plateau of the oval. The fretted edges are adorned with masks. The reverse is mottled green background to evoke the stone. Some lacks a crack and old restorations. Dim (HxWxD):. 2.5 x 59 x 38 cm