Born Giovanni Battista Pamphilij (1574-1655), Innocent X became Pope in 1644 and ruled until his death in 1655. Trained as a lawyer, he served as papal diplomat to Naples, France and Spain. He succeeded Pope Urban VIII (1623-1644), elected by a conclave divided by rivalry between French and Spanish factions. A gifted politician, he increased the temporal power of the Church and faced the English Ci💧vil War.

This pair of carved stone sgabelli bearing the coat of ar✅ms of Pope Innocent X bear a typically Roman shape that was often found in painted faux-marble wood.

Comparable examples i✱nclude a pair with the emblem of his predecessor, Pope Urban VIII (see Dorotheum, Vienna, 21 April 2010, lot 665) and a pai💯r bearing the arms of Pope Clement XIII (1758-69), (see Sotheby’s London, 7 December 2006, lot 140).

❀The present pair wasไ executed in stone to furnish one of the papal residence gardens.

This lot has an artistic export license. Please refer to the specialist department for further information about export procedures and shipping costs.