Vintage 1960s Signed Ottaviani Italian Modernist Sterling Enamel Our Lady Plaque
Vintage 1960s Signed Ottaviani Italian Modernist Sterling Enamel Our Lady Plaque
Vintage 1960s Signed Ottaviani Italian Modernist Sterling Enamel Our Lady Plaque
Vintage 1960s Signed Ottaviani Italian Modernist Sterling Enamel Our Lady Plaque

Vintage 1960s Signed Ottaviani Italian Modernist Sterling Enamel Our Lady Plaque
This is a Vintage 1960s Signed Ottaviani Italian Modernist Sterling Enamel Our Lady Plaque. These items are an eclectic mix including gold and sterling jewelry, and many unique, and in some cases, one of a kind items, in wood, brass, and iron, and other materials as well. When I initially saw this piece, I was immediately very taken with it. In my opinion, it is an outstanding example of Italian Mid Century Modern design. The Virgin Mary is beautifully rendered in sterling silver surrounded by a wonderful, deep cobalt blue true vitreous enamel. Mary’s halo has a lighter blue enamel, and there are enamel accents on her robe in a third shade of blue. The robe also has other intaglio areas where no enamel was used. The silver sculpture is mounted on a hardwood plaque with a quite dark finish that complements the silver and enamel perfectly. On close inspection the wood has small grain marks that are very similar in appearance to those of walnut, but the grain is much tighter, and there are fewer of these grain marks, so I suspect the wood may not be walnut. The color is similar to the darkest shade typically found in rosewood. There are bands of different hues like those characteristic of rosewood, but the variations are not as dramatic as in some of the photos of rosewood I found online. I do not have enough expertise to know if this lesser variation could be characteristic of some types of rosewood or not, so I cannot make any specific attribution as to the type of hardwood from which the plaque is made. The piece is signed “OTTAVIANI” along the edge of Mary’s robe with the sterling silver purity, 925, in an adjacent oval cartouche. To the right of that is another cartouche with “8 MC” or “8 HC”, I cannot tell for sure which. The dimensions are 2 1/4″ wide x 7″ tall. The size is shown along a ruler in one of the photos. The maximum overall depth of the piece is about 7/8. The back of the plaque has a hole, approximately 5/16 deep. It appears that the hole is lined at least part of the way down with a brass collar / grommet. If you intend to hang the plaque, you should make your own evaluation as to whether using this hole to hang the plaque on a small nail or picture hanger will provide sufficient stability or not. One alternative if you decide to do so, would be to add several small balls of Quake Hold or similar product to stabilize the plaque and help attach it to the wall. The plaque is in excellent condition, with the only issue to noted a number of scratches around the hole on the back as seen. International Buyers Please Note. Doing that is against U. We pride ourselves on multiple, large, clear photos. Please scrolldown past the description to view any additional photos. Powered by SixBit’s eCommerce Solution. The item “Vintage 1960s Signed Ottaviani Italian Modernist Sterling Enamel Our Lady Plaque” is in sale since Thursday, November 17, 2016. This item is in the category “Art\Art Sculptures”. The seller is “popper77″ and is located in Sammamish, Washington. This item can be shipped worldwide.
  • Original/Reproduction: Original
  • Listed By: Dealer or Reseller
  • Medium: Sterling Silver & Enamel
  • Subject: Religion
  • Largest Dimension: Less than 12in.
  • Date of Creation: 1950-1969
  • Region of Origin: Europe
  • Artist: Ottaviani
  • Type: Sculpture / Wall Plaque
  • UPC: Does Not Apply

Vintage 1960s Signed Ottaviani Italian Modernist Sterling Enamel Our Lady Plaque