Portable altar or altarpiece for private devotion in the Bar - Lot 340

Portable altar or altarpiece for private devotion in the Baroque style, with an architectural gilded metal structure richly decorated with mother-of-pearl, silvered metal, red stones, white stones, small diamonds and turquoise balls. The central section, set against a lapis lazuli background, depicts a saint being carried into heaven on a cloud by an angel; another angel greets her with a floral crown. The composition is surmounted by a mother-of-pearl shell underlined by ormolu finials paved with small applied stones. The scene is framed by two saintly figures in the round, a bishop on the left and a saint on the right, both standing before a mother-of-pearl veneered pilaster with Corinthian capitals. The altarpiece rests on a mother-of-pearl veneered entablature highlighted with scrolls and centered on a small glass receptacle for relics. The altarpiece is crowned by a representation of the crowned Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus on a mother-of-pearl background, topped by two angels framing a radiant sun with a small faceted diamond. Italian work, 19th century 21.5 x 13 x 3.5 cm Veneered wood base Total height: 24.2 cm (minor damage and wear to the gilding) Presented in a metal, glass and wood display case. 30.5 x 20 x 8.5 cm (no key)