NOT QUITE RIGHT

I'm back.

After not bidding on the "17th c." writing table from last week I spent several days thinking about him; on Monday when I went to pay & pick up at "My Auction" I was in for a huge surprise. I inspected (paying much closer attention) my little (assumed to be 17th c.) writing table.
Originally, I simply inspected the front side with the drawer that retained its very old lock

And the beautifully carved side supports with their gothic mask feet.

Those unusual mask carved feet really had my brain working as I thought that these types of carvings dated to the Gothic period.........
I had not paid attention to the front frieze carving.

When I studied the carved frieze on the front of the table, I realized that it was a Gothic depiction of the Annunciation with the Angel Gabriel speaking to Mary (on the right). The form and carving style are definitely Gothic. And those mask feet are.....pure Gothic. The surface appears to be very old (perhaps the top is a old replacement). I think that this guy most probably dates to the mid-16th c. (1550). I'm not an expert; so I do need to get an expert's opinion. I'm beginning to think that The Getty may be the most appropriate place to start. Dealing with museums can be (more than) a bit of a pain.......oh well, we'll see what turns up this week. OH!! That reminds me.......while the table is on its side in the Explorer, I need to take photos of the underside. When studying a piece, many times the underside reveals more of the piece's identity than the top surface.

On another note.........I took Jones to the DOG PARK (the most important place in Jones' life) today and it's quite a very long drive. The forecost was 0% chance of rain. By the time we got to Fullerton it was raining cats and dogs; so Jones and I had a nice 50 mins. of car bonding time. And my old boy (can't believe he is now 9!) didn't get any exercise. I never thought that I would complain about rain this year.....but geeeeeeeeez.

Best wishes for a fantastic week!

Mary & Jones & Cole