Biedermeier Satin Birch and Ebonised Centre Table

This handsome centre table has a circular top of beautifully figured birch. It rests on sabre-shaped legs headed by lion-masks holding rings and joined by a loop stretcher modelled as a snake eating its own tail. The lion-paw feet stand on a tripartite platform base.

Austria, Circa 1820.

Compare a centre table the blue salon in the west wing at Schloss Corvey, Germany.

The ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail in a closed circle. It means ‘tail devourer’ in Greek and is known as the oldest allegorical symbol in alchemy, representing the concept of eternity and endless return.