One of the court sculptors of the English King Henry VIII was the Italian painter Girolamo da Treviso (1508–1544). There is little information left about him. The master's works can be seen among the architectural decorations in Genoa, Bologna, Mantua. The Italian painter Giorgio Vasari mentioned him in his book Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects, noting that da Treviso went to England as a military engineer.
This gilded wooden shield was made by the sculptor around 1535. Da Treviso used the sgraffito technique, which had already gone out of fashion by that time, which was primarily used in architecture. The artist applied several thin layers of gold leaf and paint to the surface of the shield, and then with the help of tools scratched the images, removing the top layer of paint in unnecessary places.
Da Treviso decorated the outer and inner parts of the shield with images. It is believed that the drawings illustrate several episodes from the life of the Roman commander Publius Scipio, a participant in the Second Punic War. Apparently, the artist carefully studied ancient sculptures and coins in order to accurately reflect past realities. The drawing style is characteristic of the work of Raphael's assistant, Giulio Romano. Da Treviso worked with him in Mantua in 1527, and then, apparently, he was influenced by the artist.
Interesting works of sculptors of past years can be found in the section “Ceramics. Porcelain. Glass".
