A truly wonderful and rare 15th / 16th century, Renaissance period, Italian carved marble pedestal or column base. With bold carved ribbons, swags of flowers and fruit, Roman armour and helmet. In very good condition, some nibbles, weathered from years of exposure to the elements. By repute this was found buried in a garden in Newport, South Wales in the mid 20th century, it has been in a private collection in Kent until now.
You can find a very similar pedestal, both in style, design and execution in the Campo Dei Mori, Venice. The square’s name derives from the three statues set in the ancient walls of the square. These statues represent three brothers, Rioba, Sandi and Afani, of the Mastelli del Cammello family who built the entire area. The turbaned figure of the merchant Alfani was restored in the 1990's and the pedestal that it sits on was found to be a 15th century Venetian version of a Roman altar. ( please find images attached )
A pedestal in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford has similar form AN1896-1908.G.1278