A Glorious And Extremely Rare Hand Carved And Gilded Eye Of God, French, 1700’s

This fascinating antique French treasure dates from the 1700’s. It is a large hand carved and gilded decorative wood fragment that represents The Eye of Providence or the all-seeing eye of God. This is a powerful symbol that depicts an eye, enclosed in a triangle of clouds and surrounded by rays of light or Glory, meant to represent divine providence, whereby the eye of God watches over humanity.
 
This carving was once most probably a crowning part of an altar. It is carved from both sides so that it could be viewed all around. I have placed the carving on an iron stand. With the stand it measures about 58 x 64 x 12 cm or approximately 22.8 x 25.2 x 4.7 inches. Just the carving [without the stand] is about 41 x 64 x 7 cm or approximately 16.1 x 25.2 x 2.7 inches. It is exactly as I discovered it in December of 2021 with a gloriously distressed patina created with a passage of time. In my opinion it is this timeworn appeal that brings forward its true beauty and splendour today. For the full condition please refer to the images!