A few months ago, we were lucky enough to be offered a group of 17th Century oak caryatids and canephora (female figure carrying a basket) from a private collection. They sold very quickly to a customer via Selling Antiques, and we thought that was that, but no, unbeknownst to us there were more on their way from the same source. So, here is the second of three groups of seven 17th Century oak caryatids that would also make a fantastic decorative statement if displayed singularly or as a group. Originally, the inspiration to embellish furniture with these carved figures came from ancient architecture, where a caryatid was a sculpted female figure that took the place of a load-bearing column or pillar. The Greek term karyatides literally means ''maidens of Karyai'', an ancient town on the Peloponnese - the male equivalent is called atlantes or an atlas. As you would expect, when considering their age, a small amount of skilled restoration work has been carried out over their lifetime. T...