17th century, twisted columns with grapes and vines

17th Century Twisted columns with grapes and vines (2) Wood, cm h. 125 These precious gilded wooden columns, dating back to the 17th century, demonstrate the skill achieved by Italian artisans of the time given the difficulty of working with the twisted type. The refined spiral lightens the structure, giving momentum and vitality to an architectural element that seems in perpetual motion. The spiral definition also recalls the plant world, here accentuated by the refined decoration of vine shoots and bunches of grapes that follow one another along the entire shaft. Leaves and berries are not merely a decorative and architectural element, but a true sculptural work, to be admired for the attention to detail and the care taken in the volumetric rendering. The columns also have a distinct polychromy, where the golden opulence of the capital and vine contrasts with the brownish hue of the column and the more greenish tones of the leaves and grapes. The twisted column is also called the "Solomonic" column because, according to Christian tradition, it was the element suggested by God to Solomon at the time of the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem (10th century) and therefore considered divine architecture. Already used in the early imperial age, especially in sarcophagi, the twisted column soon became an interesting architectural variation of the classic long-lined shaft, spreading also in the early Christian environment. It was from 70 AD that the twisted column began to acquire a religious meaning: after the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, in fact, the emperor Constantine donated the twisted columns of Parian marble that, originally six and then increased to twelve by Pope Gregory III in the 17th century, went to form the ancient Pergula of St. Peter in the homonymous Basilica. Widely used in the Romanesque period, the twisted columns were partially set aside in the Renaissance period, when the classicism of the smooth or fluted column was looked at again, making their reappearance in Rome at the beginning of the 16th century, first in the paintings of Raphael and his school, and later in Mannerist architecture. The height of splendor was reached in the Baroque period, as evidenced by the famous example that made school, namely the Baldachin made by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1624 in St. Peter's Basilica, with its imposing bronze twisted columns. From a more symbolic point of view, the columns were often used by the Christian tradition as a metaphor to indicate the one who won the battles of the spirit (Revelation, 3:12). In the present pair, the allegorical meaning is further enriched by the significant presence of vine shoots and grapes which, in the Bible, assumed functions of well-being, fertility and blessing; to it is also connected wine, symbol of joy, wedding feast, alliance. Jesus himself defines himself as vine (Gospel according to John 15:1-8): he is the source of true life, while believers are the branches; living united to Him, as the branch lives on the sap of the vine, they enjoy full life and bear fruit. Another possible key to understanding is the profane one, which sees the vine as a symbol of wine, of the Dionysian and Bacchic world, to be connected to the concepts of abundance and wealth.