Italian table « à lyre »

ORIGIN : ITALY
PERIOD : 17th century

Height : 76 cm
Length : 197 cm
Width : 77 cm

Walnut wood


This fine example of a highly architectural middle table is typical of Italian production from the early 17th century.

Its thick, single-piece top is resting on a slightly sloping H-shaped base reminiscent of the trestle tables from which it is derived. A strut connects the two legs.

The structure becomes both decoration and movement. The H-shaped base follows the shape of the lyre. The lines of the legs and crossbar soften into curves and counter-curves derived from the scrolls of foliage, evoking the fantasy of nature without the plant element ever being represented.

This typically Italian style of construction emphasises the structure, reduced to its essential forms. Coming from the south, it became widespread throughout the peninsula around 1600, before having a strong influence on Spain.