Pietro Giusti (1822-1878) - Walnut Frame Carved With Military Attributes - Siena - Circa 1850

Pietro Giusti (1822 - 1878).
Mirror-mounted  frame adorned with military attributes and finely carved ornamental friezes.
Walnut wood.
19th century.

Pietro Giusti was one of the leading woodcarvers and markers of Tuscany in the 19th century. He taught at the Academy of Siena and then in Turin. His works were exhibited at the Exhibitions of Florence in 1861 and London in 1862.

A very similar frame is held by the Kingston Lacy house in Dorset and others are on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Siena workshops have always been famous for the quality of their woodcarvers' productions. Pietro Giusti took part of the revival of woodcarving, which had begun in the first third of the 19th century.

This artist produced quality work in historical styles. The weapons depicted on the frame, the use of walnut wood and the decorative friezes give a beautiful illustration of the imaginative interpretation of the early 16th century style, itself inspired by the antique.