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Lot Essay
This 'auricular' side table is similar to the side tables in the important seventeenth century furniture collection of Ir. Edgar J.G. Schermerhorn which sold Christie's Amsterdam, 29 September 1999.
The earliest pieces of 'auricular' furniture probably date from the 1650's. The majority of items produced were tables and stands. Several of these tables were intended as wedding presents and therefore much of their decoration includes marital symbolism. One of the most recurrent symbols on these 'marriage tables' is the eagle. This motif appears prominently on the current table, and would have been understood by contemporaries to symbolize parental love.
The earliest pieces of 'auricular' furniture probably date from the 1650's. The majority of items produced were tables and stands. Several of these tables were intended as wedding presents and therefore much of their decoration includes marital symbolism. One of the most recurrent symbols on these 'marriage tables' is the eagle. This motif appears prominently on the current table, and would have been understood by contemporaries to symbolize parental love.