Research
Of giltwood. The rectangular ebonized wood top with molded edge with ogee shaped undermold, the whole raised on a spread eagle, the right talon entrapping a serpent, the base comprising four scrolling brackets with scrolling acanthus leaf decoration.
The present table formerly stood in the Villa Mauresque, an early twentieth century estate in the southeastern French peninsula of Cap Ferrat. It was purchased in 1927 by the British playwright and novelist W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965), who enlisted American architect Barry Dierks to modernize and classicize its design, and he lived there until his death in 1965, entertaining literary celebrities and members of high society. Maugham was an avid collector of modern and impressionist art and the Villa’s collection included works by Picasso, Renoir, Gauguin and Matisse. The home also housed an impressive library of some 10,000 volumes, and contained fine eighteenth and nineteenth century English, Italian and Spanish furniture and works of art.
The present table takes the form of an eagle entrapping a serpent in its talons. In Western iconography, this it represents an allegorical struggle between good and evil and, with the eagle in a dominating position, symbolizes a spiritual triumph.
While console tables with carved eagle supports are an established form in English and Italian decorative art, the incorporation of the serpent is uncommon. Equally unusual are the scrolled bracket feet of the table, where typically the composition is supported on a plinth base.
Full research available on request.