A Pair of Mid 19th Century Antique Carved Oak Gothic Revival Corner Spandrel Fragments

This is a handsome pair of Gothic Revival spandrels in carved oak, made in the mid-19th century and conceived as true mirror images of one another. Each takes the form of a quadrant within a moulded, square-edged frame. A bold cusped arch sweeps across its lower edge, and its points are drawn out into crisp, sharply chamfered foils that give the outline a lively, almost thorny silhouette. It is a motif lifted directly from the vocabulary of medieval church carpentry.

The carving is the real distinction. The spandrel field above each arch is filled with vigorous, deeply undercut foliage, so that the leaves stand proud against the open ground. Fronds curl, turn back on themselves and rise towards the corner with real sculptural conviction. This is the work of a carver who understood that Gothic ornament must read at a distance and still reward close inspection. The tooling is confident and economical, with none of the flat, mechanical quality found in later commercial work.

Pieces of this kind belonged to the arcading of a larger fitting, whether a chancel or parclose screen, a run of choir stalls, a reredos or an altar frontage. The physical evidence of that earlier life remains. The truncated stiles at the foot of each spandrel and the housing along the top rail show where they were once framed in. They date from the decades when the Gothic Revival moved from antiquarian enthusiasm to a moral and architectural crusade, and when parish churches across Britain and the Continent were being refitted in a spirit of earnest medievalism.

The oak has mellowed to a rich, warm colour beneath an old polish, with the higher points of the carving gently burnished by age. Displayed as a pair, they make a striking piece of architectural ornament on a wall. They would serve equally well as substantial shelf brackets, or as the dressing to a doorway, alcove or bookcase opening in a period interior.

Provenance: Formerly part of a larger Gothic Revival fitting, most probably ecclesiastical; earlier history unrecorded.

Material: Oak, carved and pierced, with old polished surface.

Condition: Good condition commensurate with age and former use. There are minor knocks, abrasions and small edge bruises consistent with removal from their original setting, and the polish is worn in places. The fine pierced foliage remains crisp and well preserved, although small age-related losses to the most delicate leaf tips may be present on close inspection. Both spandrels are structurally sound.

Dimensions: Each: 14¼ in high × 15 in wide × 1 in deep (36 cm × 38 cm × 2.5 cm).