Very fine ormolu, cloisonné enamel and porcelain stoup

This beautiful religious object is a stoup: a vessel for holy water, and is crafted from an exquisite balance of gilt bronze, cloisonné enamel, and porcelain, bearing a plaque in the centre depicting the Virgin Mary and child after Raphael's Madonna della Seggiola.

Crafted in France in the late 19th century, its oval form is centred around the porcelain plaque of the Madonna and Christ-child, and is embellished with further gilt decorative elements and pendants to the four sides of the cross. The top features a cross and a pair of angels holding the arma Christi (crown of thorns, etc.) while the base features a tridacna - clam shaped pendant - supported by putti, above a phylactery - a small religious leather box - which is engraved 'Ave Maria.'

The Madonna della Seggiola (or Sedia) is one of Raphael's most recognisable and acclaimed paintings of the Madonna with Child, and in this piece is it housed in a beautiful enamel frame, intricately inlaid in tones of red and blue, and mounted in a stunning ormolu sculptural frame.