Auricular - Oxford Definition

A term used to describe ornament that is curved like the forms found in the human ear. More specifically, it is applied to a particular style of Dutch 17th-century silverware, derived from Dutch Mannerist engravings and German silver, in which the curving forms resemble the interior of a shell or the lobes of an ear. Auricular motifs also occurred on carved ornament in 17th-century Dutch and German furniture. The auricular style can be viewed as a transitional phase between Mannerism and Baroque.