Console; Ferdinand VI, circa 1750.

Console; Fernando VI, circa 1750. Carved and gilded wood. Marble from a later period (19th century). Slight flaws in the carving and gilding. Measurements: 82,5 x 125 x 60 cm. Console of semicircular format made in carved, fretworked, moulded and gilded wood, it presents four legs of alveolate structure that start from two circular feet on which there is a carving as a volute, which are joined in the centre by means of a structure in the shape of a venery. Above the legs, a belt decorated with vegetal garlands centres the sculpture of what appears to be a swan. The structure of the console table has constructive characteristics borrowed from architecture. The skeleton of the piece of furniture, which during the Rococo period was concealed by ornamentation, is now fully visible, giving way to a large white marble tabletop. The production of consoles was widely recognised in Rome between the second half of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, and derived directly from those made during the early Baroque period by artists in Bernini's immediate circle, such as the famous tables of the Naiad and the Triton. These were pieces of furniture in which carving was predominant, worked at various levels of relief and even with details in the round, independent figures that could replace parts of the structure (especially the supports). These tables were display furniture, richly decorated and characterised by their high quality. On the other hand, as they approach the 18th century, as in this particular case, they are increasingly symmetrical in form, seeking undulation and movement, but also a certain balance, as can be seen in this piece, and giving priority to vegetal decoration.