Pair of Baroque columns; late 17th - early 18th century.
Carved and gilded wood.
Measurements: 58 x 9 x 6.5 cm (x2).
This type of columns were common in Spanish Baroque altarpieces from around the last third of the 17th century and, although their design was already known both in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, they only became common elements in the Baroque period after the bronze baldachin of the Basilica of St. Peter's in the Vatican in Rome by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, between 1623 and 1634. From this moment on, and with numerous decorative variations, the Solomonic column became a characteristic element of architecture and other Baroque arts, appearing in painting, sculpture, etc. The most common decoration was with bunches of grapes, branches and vine leaves, in clear allusion to the Body and Blood of Christ, key elements in the Salvation of Mankind, although, towards the 18th century, there were other examples that added leaves and roses or flowers, probably in response to a greater relationship with Rococo elements or to an association with a feminine environment.