Auricular style
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Auricular style (Dutch: Kwabstijl, German: Knorpelwerk or Ohrmuschelstil) refers to a style of 17th century ornamental decoration, especially found in Northern Europe of the first half of the 17th century, bridging Northern Mannerism and the Baroque. The name refers to the ear-like lobular qualities in the decoration that give an anatomic quality to the typical baroque arabesques more commonly associated with the period.
The style features organic shapes, reminiscent of thick dripping substance, droopings, gristly parts and folds of the skin. The lobe ornament originated in the 16th century as a two-dimensional form in ornamental prints. Later it was used as a three-dimensional decoration of window openings, picture frames and the like.
Although precedents have been traced in the graphic designs of Italian Mannerist artists such as Giulio Romano and Enea Vico, it can first be found in 1598 in the important ornament book of Northern Mannerism, Architectura: Von Außtheilung, Symmetria und Proportion der Fünff Seulen ..., by Wendel Dietterlin of Stuttgart, in the second edition of 1598. It can be found in the designs of Hans Vredeman de Vries in the Netherlands, and was used most effectively in the hands of the Dutch silversmiths Paulus and Adam van Vianen and Johannes Lutma. Christian van Vianen, another member of the family, worked in England at the courts of Charles I and Charles II and took the style there.
The style was also effective in wood and used for furniture and especially picture frames. Different varieties became popular in English (Sunderland frame after Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland) and Dutch frames. Around the mid-century Cardinal Leopoldo de' Medici had his large picture collection, housed in the Pitti Palace in Florence reframed in the auricular style, perhaps influenced by Stefano della Bella. These Medici frames were more three-dimensional than the other frame styles, with more areas both raised or entirely cut through. The framing styles were long-lasting, surviving in use long enough to be reinvigorated by the Rococo.
The style was effective for cartouches, whether in three-dimensional uses or for bookplates and the like. It later influenced Rococo and then Art Nouveau ornament.
See also
- Cornelis Floris II.
- Auricle
- Glossary of shapes with metaphorical names
- Dutch Golden Age painting
- Northern Mannerism
- Zoomorphism
- Neuw Grottessken Buch (1610) - Christoph Jamnitzer
Examples
- Cartouche in auricular style (Johannes Lutma)
- Auricular Cartouche with Figures within a Strapwork Frame[1] by Johannes van Doetecum the elder after Cornelis Floris II.
