A DUTCH STAINED PINE HALL BENCH
Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the H… Read more
A DUTCH STAINED PINE HALL BENCH

CIRCA 1700

Details
A DUTCH STAINED PINE HALL BENCH
CIRCA 1700
The pierced back profusely carved with foliage, scrolls, fruit baskets and dragon-like creatures flanked by scrolled arm supports
171 cm. wide
Special notice
Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the Hammer Price of each lot sold at the following rates: 29.75% of the Hammer Price of each lot up to and including €20,000, plus 23.8% of the Hammer Price between €20,001 and €800.000, plus 14.28% of any amount in excess of €800.000. Buyer’s premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.

Lot Essay

The fashion for impressive carved hall benches undoubtedly reflects the changes in planning and arrangement of Dutch houses. This was also influenced by Daniel Marot (1661-1752) who included floor plans for town houses inspired by the Parisian Hôtels in his Livres. In these plans the hall gained greater prominence. Hall benches were created as decorative elements rather than seat-furniture. They were designed to harmonise with the stucco wall decoration, possibly as an echo for embellishments elsewhere. Unlike auricular tables, hall benches rarely incorporate any deeper symbolism.
Although halls and therefore hall benches rarely appear on contemporary genre paintings, information is fortunately provided by several doll's houses, which have survived more or less intact since they were executed. These dolls' houses were incorporated in a cabinet and were not intended as children's toys, but as costly collector's cabinets. Some of these dolls' houses contains hall benches, for example the one made for Sara Roth which is now in the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem.
Comparable hall benches were sold Christie's Amsterdam, The Schermerhorn Collection, 29 September 1999, lots 507, 515, 523, 542 and 546.

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