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Description:
Despite over 15 years of viewing and acquiring French
antique furniture, every once in a while one encounters a
piece that takes the breath away, as this one did when we
rounded a corner at a bustling antique fair in France and
almost collided with this table. We recognized instantly
that this ancient table epitomized the Château des BoisTM
collection in its marriage of Renaissance Italian design with
French Gothic carving in solid walnut. The result is a
massive yet graceful library table of museum quality which
rarely comes on the market.
The architectural nature of the table's structure owes its
origins to Roman designs on a vast scale such as viaducts
with their wide, rounded arches. On a smaller scale,
heavily carved marble tables (cartibula) rediscovered in
Renaissance times in ruins of ancient Roman homes, were
more likely the inspiration for the Renaissance tables of
Italy, and later, France.
The overall trestle structure of French library tables has
been attributed to Jacques Androuet de Cerceau
(1510-1585) whose engravings of furniture designs
inspired generations of French craftsmen to create oblong
tables with "H" shaped stretchers, elaborate feet, and
multiple pendentives or toupies. Such tables produced in
the 16th and 17th centuries may still be viewed in the
museums (e.g., Ecouen) and chateaux (e.g., Blois) of
France.
This particular table hails most likely from northern France
(anywhere from the Loire Valley to Flanders to
Burgundy), undoubtedly predating the dealer's estimate of
1750 due to the quality of the walnut in terms of clarity of
grain and richness of color. Indeed, during what is known
in France as the Second Renaissance (beginning in 1545),
such walnut was known as the "noble wood" and was
used for pieces of commanding size (especially cabinets)
defined by intricately carved elements elaborating columns
and arches derived from the world of architecture.
Although the overall structure of this table is Italian in
ancestry, the fleur-de-lis on the frieze below the top, on
the sides of the central stretcher, and at the top of the
trestle, are undeniably French. Were the table Italian, we
would expect to see the stamen on either side of the
central petal of the fleur-de-lis as shown in Florence.
Those who commissioned and crafted this table were
proud to graft a decidedly French identity onto an
otherwise Italian design.
The origin of the fleur-de-lis as symbol of France is open
to speculation but appears to have its origin in scepters of
the Capetian kings. It was likely under the influence of
Saint Bernard and Suger, Abbott of the royal Basilica of
St. Dénis, that Louis VII adopted the flower as a symbol
of French royalty.
On the lengthwise frieze below the top of this table, the
vertical fleur-de-lis is encased in an elliptical flourish
whereas on the narrower sides it is shown horizontally in
back-to-back pairs, alternating with a stylized leaf. On the
front and back of the central stretcher are fleur-de-lis in
circles, resembling medallions or coins, below the base of
each of the three columns. Visible only to those who bend
down to look under the table are three fleur-de-lis incised
on each side of the trestle where the arches intersect.
Another aspects of this design, which are unique to
France, are the rounded shapes covered with gadrooning
(reminding us of acorn squash) which are suspended from
the four corners of the top and which form the base of all
the columns. These are called either poignés, referring to
the shape of a clenched fist, or pots à feu referring to a
rounded cooking vessel with a top (and not to be confused
with the beef stew known as pot-au-feu). This unique
shape displaying the gadrooning is seen in furniture such
as beds and dressoir cabinets from Burgundy but likely
enjoyed a wider following among the nobility of northern
France.
The feet, highly carved and tapering from the ends of the
"H" shaped stretcher, have their roots in medieval design,
the table à patins. The feet are intricately carved with a
leaf design on top and sides, in harmony with the leaves
carved into the narrow ends of the frieze. Perhaps this
too is symbolic and comprises an element in the coat of
arms of the family who commissioned the table.
Anchoring the table firmly in the tradition, if not the
epoch, of the Italian Renaissance is its oblong design
evoking the Golden Section, also known as the Divine
Proportion. Buildings and objects created using the
special ratios developed by the ancient Egyptians, later
employed by the Greeks and Romans, and eventually
"rediscovered" in the Italian Renaissance, were considered
to have a powerful, almost mystical effect. In this case,
the ratio of length to width of the table fits almost exactly
the phi of the Golden Section (1.6180). Perhaps this is
yet another reason for our profound attraction to this
table.
The table's condition is, overall, excellent for a piece of its
age and artistry but the top has developed several splits,
which is not uncommon in modern interior spaces with
carefully monitored heat and humidity. We have not
repaired it and would leave this to the judgment of the
buyer, but we caution that such a repair could jeopardize
the table's value as an antique.
Ader-Tajan, Collection Bruno Perrier Haute Epoque
(Catalog for Sale at Auction on April 6, 1992 at the Hôtel
Drouot, Paris); Boccador, Jacqueline, Le Mobilier
Français du Moyen Age à la Renaissance, Editions d'Art
Monelle Hayot (Saint-Just-en-Chaussée, 1988); Boussel,
Patrice, Les Styles du Moyen Age à Louis XIV (Baschet
et Cie, Paris, 1979); Thirion, Jacques, Le Mobilier du
Moyen Age et de la Renaissance en France (Editions
Faton, Dijon, 1998)
This table's traditional role is in a library but it would
function beautifully in any room where, displayed
prominently, its artistry will triumph. An extremely rare
and undeniably exquisite collector's item, this table will
delight its future owners as it has ourselves since the
moment we first laid eyes on it.
For more information, M. Markley Antiques on the Web is the premier resource in the U.S. for French Gothic Revival and Renaissance Revival furniture, including Henri II and Louis XIII styles.
| Status: For Sale |
Reference#: 109210 |
| Condition:
Very good |
Year:
Circa 1750
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| Country:
France |
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| Height:
31 in. (78.74 cm) |
Depth:
30.5 in. (77.47 cm) |
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Width: 52.5 in. (133.35 cm)
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| Style:
Renaissance |
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| Materials:
Solid walnut |
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