Frame, Utrecht, c. 1650-1655

This frame is typical of the “auricular” style (from the Latin word auricula, meaning “ear”) that emerged in the Netherlands in the first half of the seventeenth century. Inspired by cartilages and shells, its undulating, ear-like forms seem to merge into monstrous creatures. The auricular style emerged around 1600 in the workshop of the silversmiths Adam (+1627) and Paul (1570-1613) Van Vianen in Utrecht. The circulation of collections of ornament engravings led to the spread of the auricular style in Europe, especially in the northern countries.