Italian
Ottangulo, ca. 1550 - 1580
On view
Walnut
Dimensions32 × 53 in. (81.3 × 134.6 cm)
Gift of Viola E. Bray, 2005.140
Italian Renaissance households sometimes contained an ottangulo (octagonal table), with or without elaborate decoration, as is evident from its frequent mention in inventories during the sixteenth century. The original owners of this ottangulo are not known, but a clue is given by the two coats of arms included in the decoration of the elaborately carved legs that support the table’s plain octagonal surface. Not only did this family want their wealth and status to be known through the heraldry, but other symbols on the legs communicated their desire to provide a bountiful table, including scrolling vines, flowers, fruit, and intertwined cornucopia containing vegetables and shafts of wheat. All these symbols were borrowed from ancient Greek and Roman sources to convey the theme of abundance and fertility.
