A French walnut centre table, late 16th century, after Jaques-Androuet du Cerceau

Acquired in 1986 from the Jacques Lacoste Gallery, Paris;

Sotheby's Paris, May 14, 2014, lot 19

A new aesthetic

The eclectic style of this table reflects a period of profound change in France, moving from a post-medieval era to a society that occupied a central place in Europe under the Bourbon dynasty.  

The arrival of the young Italian Catherine de’ Medici at the French court marked a second Renaissance, and with it the definitive transition between the dominant French Gothic style and the new wave of Classicism. Her marriage to King Henri II, followed by his premature death after a joust, established her as regent of France and mother to three successive kings, the last of the Valois dynasty. Under her reign, the Italian Renaissance flourished in popularity and the châteaux of the Loire began to assume a more Italian character, as exemplified by Queen Catherine’s commission of the château of Chenonceau.  

The rise of this new style in the decorative arts can undoubtedly be attributed to the great architects, whose Italian training proved invaluable. Among them, Jacques Androuet du Cerceau (1515-1585), Philibert Delorme (1510-1570), who designed the first classical wing of the Louvre, and Jean Bullant (1520-1578), more than any others, shaped French artistic traditions. 

In the 16th century, the art of dining underwent a significant transformation, moving from long banquet trestles draped in tablecloths or tapestries to smaller pieces. Gradually, the architecture of the table itself began to change, its function assuming a predominant role in the representation of opulence and splendour. Whereas in the Middle Ages the table was assembled indiscriminately in any available space, the refinement of the Renaissance, coupled with a more stable court, granted it a newfound importance. The hands of master sculptors were frequently called upon to transform these pieces into symbols of luxury. The legs, now linked by struts, could be highly stylised and became the focal point of 16th-century decoration. Akin to the great castles that were built, rebuilt or restored, with their emphasis on comfort and equipped with larger windows, the art of the table reflected the more comfortable and luxurious lifestyle of the 16th century. The pedestal table, with its richly ornamented, deeply carved legs linked by a balustraded strut and a drop-leaf top, emerged as the obligatory centrepiece in aristocratic circles. The model presented here is a characteristic example of this new aesthetic: the arcatures make the piece of furniture highly architectural, more akin to the work of an architect rather than that of a cabinetmaker. 

An extended catalogue note is available at SOTHEBYS.COM