MID-18TH CENTURY

In the early 18th century the eagle increasingly makes an appearance in design and ornament. It is the symbol of both Jupiter, King of the Gods, and the Roman Empire. Both references were highly relevant to the contemporary state of English taste in the fine and literary arts. Increasingly overt classical references were proliferating in interior and garden design of the period, and eagles such as this are matched by the grand, gilded spread-eagle supports for marble table tops, particularly associated with the neo-Palladian architect and garden designer William Kent.

Related lead versions of Jupiter's sacred eagle with spread wings featured on the gateway of Mapperton, Dorset (see G. Jekyll, Garden Ornament l9l8, p.l3).