Pair of Solomonic columns. Spain, 17th century.
Carved and gilded wood.
With restorations.
Measurements: 67,5 x 15 cm.
The Solomonic shaft (contoured in a spiral in a particular way, which should be differentiated from the twisted column) is typical of Baroque architecture, inspired by the baldachin of St. Peter's in the Vatican, made by Bernini. It should be noted that both the name and the shape are related to Solomon's temple, which is supposed to have used them in this way, and to a relic of it preserved in St Peter's in the Vatican.
Columns of this type were common in Spanish Baroque altarpieces from around the last third of the 17th century and, although their design was already known in both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, they only became common elements in the Baroque period after Gian Lorenzo Bernini's bronze baldachin in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican in Rome 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.