Rare Neo-Gothic Carved Triptych. By Francisco Pallás y Puig. Spain, Circa 1900

Big-sized and very rare hand-carved neo-Gothic triptych by Francisco Pallás y Puig in wonderful condition. This is a unique piece inspired in a medieval Gothic triptych and boasting a state-of-the-art carving work. The triptych is 70 cm high and is composed of a rectangular panel with low depth, a supporting base and two wooden doors. Once opened the triptych shows an outstanding display of religious ivory images, all of them depicting scenes of the life of Jesus Christ. We find the Baptism of Saint John, the Crucifixion, the Descent from the Cross and other scenes from the New Testament, very representative of the Christian tradition. Each scene is crowned by a delicate Gothic-style tracery capital, being especially remarkable the ones at from the top of the triptych. The tracery work has red backgrounds behind which males a rich contrast with the dark background of the panels and the bone-white figures. The hand-carved scenes are decorated with fine gold-foil details: clothes, hair, the nerves of the tracery work The base on which the triptych stands is a fine ivory piece with a hand-carved decoration compose of intertwined leaves and a central shield. The bottom border shows a Latin inscription on a black background, with a verse from the New Testament: I am the Resurrection and the Life and he who believes in me even though he has died will live. The hand-carved scenes are mounted on three dark solid-wooden panels with frames that support the ivory carvings. The edges are decorated with embedded marquetry pieces composed of ivory and light-colored wooden pieces. Crowning the triptych we can see a fine ivory scene with two angels holding a checkered gold and red shield, similar to the one at the base. When the triptych is closed, between the two doors we can see the central figure of Christ. Outside the doors are reinforced with superb brass metalwork. Very rare and really imposing, this gorgeous and antique neo-Gothich tryptich carved by Francisco Pallás y Puig will stand out in a great collection or a living room dedicated to art pieces. Measurements: Height: 28 in / 70 cm. Width: 14.6 in / 36.5 cm. Depth: 3.2 in / 8 cm.Francisco Pallás y Puig History Francisco Pallás y Puig (1859 1926) was an artist and a carver born in Valencia, Spain. He spent his whole life creating superb reproductions of great masterpieces from the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Though form many years his figure fell into oblivion, currently his artworks are recovering their prestige; now they are starting to be appreciated again as the masterpieces they truly are. Pallás y Puig stood out for his carving work on bone and ivory, being specialized in articles such as fan ribs and ornamental pieces. His works are detailed reproductions but were considered falsifications for years: this was the reason of his fall from grace and later oblivion of his work. The Valencian artista used to work exclusively for a French art dealer. The dealer bought every work made by Pallás and sold them later to museums and collections as original pieces; their astonishing quality made them very difficult to date. For this reason, greatest museums all over the world (such as the Louvre) have today pieces made by Pallás y Puig in their collections. When in 1944 an expert discovered that the pieces were not antique there was a big scandal and Pallás started to be known as the forger. Nevertheless, he never intended to sell his works as authentic pieces but as reproductions. His work was so good that the same expert said he was the real author of the famous Iberian sculpture Lady of Elche (whose authenticity has not been completely proven yet). In the last years, art experts have started to vindicate the figure of Francisco Pallás y Puig so his amazing artwork can recover the position it deserves. His carefully carved pieces show off a huge complexity, a delicate handwork and a subtleness which is difficult to reproduce. They are real masterpieces that exude spirituality.