LATE 17TH CENTURY

The auricular style, bridging Northern Mannerism and the Baroque, became popular in Northern Europe in the first half of 17th century. Initially largely used in silversmithing, it subsequently became popular in the wider decorative arts and was chiefly employed in furniture and picture frames. This style is characterized by softly flowing abstract shapes and reliefs, festoon of flowers and fruits and stylized marine animal forms and is often asymmetrical. Depictions of Dutch interior artists such as Jan Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch and Gerard Terborch can reveal how Dutch paintings were framed as a complement to the furnishing of a house, and the auricular carving, often gilt or polished, would complement the ambiance thanks to the subtle interplay of stepped flats and curved surfaces reflecting the candlelight.