Italian, Lombardo-Veneto
Table (Tavolo), 1500-1530
Walnut, Overall: 34 7/8 x 114 15/16 x 35 13/16 in. (88.6 x 292 x 91 cm)
This warm brown walnut dining table is approximately three by ten feet. The top is plain but the surface is worn, pitted, scarred and unevenly discolored. The wooden pedestal supports, in contrast, are intricately carved and highly decorative. They are H shaped and approximately a foot offset from each end of the table. Each of the four straight legs that comprise the pair of supports has a carved undulating vine with circular flower forms at regular intervals. Each crosspiece is turned and carved with realistic leaves. There is a triangular dark wooden base at the end of each of the four legs. Each base is decorated with a pair of fanciful dolphin-like creatures on both the exterior and interior surfaces. The sea creatures are set tail to tail and have open mouths, flippers, dorsal fins, and even scaly skin.
Gothic Room
Commentary
This table is noteworthy for its trestle pedestals which are decorated with pairs of fanciful dolphins. These are set tail to tail, and are
wonderfully detailed to show the creatures’ scrolling mouths, spiny flippers, and spiky doral fins, as well as their scaly skin.
wonderfully detailed to show the creatures’ scrolling mouths, spiny flippers, and spiky doral fins, as well as their scaly skin.