A magnificent pair of large Venetian ebonized and carved wood blackamoors with parcel-gilt highlights in the manner of Valentino Besarel.

A magnificent pair of large Venetian ebonized and carved wood blackamoors with parcel-gilt highlights in the manner of Valentino Besarel.

Dimensions: 2 350 cm high by 830 cm wide by 620 cm deep.

Valentino Besarel (1829-1902)

Valentino Panciera Besarel was born in Zoldo, in the province of Bellune, Veneto, Italy, the son of the wood carver Giovanni Batista Besarel. He established himself in the 1860’s with an atelier located in Venice. His trade card listed private patrons and royalty including Edward, Prince of Wales. He exhibited at the 1878 Paris Universelle Exposition, where he was awarded the Grande Medaille d’Or. He was awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. The churches of Este and Conselve, near Padua possess many groups of saints executed by him.