After Du Cerceau; Second Renaissance

Italian table in molded, carved and turned oak. The invention of this type of table being attributed to Jacques Androuet du Cerceau, our model is one of the so-called “portico tables” according to the classification of Jacques Thirion, a historian specializing in Renaissance furniture. The mobile platform can be deployed by means of two extensions placed below. This system of opening and closing makes it possible to appreciate without constraint the particularly worked base of this table of the Second Renaissance. The wide belt molded with friezes of facing gadroons rests on a thick spacer made up of five solidly turned balusters. At each end, two thick columns with sculpted abacuses frame an arcade. On either side of these porticoes, molded tops decorate this architectural composition. Four skates sculpted with pinnae support this Renaissance luxury item. The French Renaissance table was inspired by the Italian table, itself emerged by a renewed interest in antiquity and the trapezophores of the marbles of this period. It has a preponderant importance in the residences of first-rate personalities because it is at the center of the festivities. The luxurious models have a belt decorated with ovals or gadroons, the spacer is reinforced with balusters and arches in the ends, the runners are worked, cut, as is the case on the one we are exhibiting. It has not been modified or transformed during its long life, it only shows a few maintenance restorations. According to Jacques Thirion, "The table of the second Renaissance marks one of the peaks of the art of furniture in France". Period late 16th century - early 17th century. Second Renaissance. Length: 142 cm Extended length: 264 cm