No. 86. Venetian Table.
Tables were inlaid, carved and gilded. The prevailing form was a rectangular top, sometimes of marble, with wide, richly carved supports consisting of human and animal forms at either end; these were connected by a central stretcher at the base, from which sprang a series of arched forms reaching to the underside of the top.
Walnut was commonly employed for constructive purposes, and ebony and many other woods were used both for veneers and inlay, as also were such materials as ivory, tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl.
It is not easy to form an idea of the furniture in ordinary use, as the examples which survive and which can generally be seen in museums are misleading, being typical rather of that belonging to the nobility and wealthy classes.
Probably owing to the rougher usage to which it was subjected, and possibly also to its being but little esteemed by its owners, and consequently no effort being made to preserve it, the domestic furniture of the middle classes seems to have disappeared.
No. 87. Carved Walnut Chair. Italian, 16th century.