1650-1660

Frame with Figures of Mars and Minerva

Artist/maker unknown

The rich decoration on this frame combines standing figures of the gods Mars and Minerva, relief carvings of playful children (a popular motif in French design), and fanciful “auricular” (ear-shaped) designs adapted from an influential Dutch style of the early 1600s. A document of 1651 describes an ebony frame like this one that was ordered to hold mirror glass, which at the time would have been unusual and very costly for a frame of this size.

From 1630 to 1660, northern European and Parisian furniture makers created cabinets with lustrous carved ebony veneers that set a new standard for luxurious furniture in France. This object is one of only two known frames in this exotic wood made by the workshops of these cabinetmakers.