Italian ebony, engraved bone and hardstone travelling cabinet, 17th century

Description

17th-century Italian travelling cabinet, probably Florentine, its wooden structure covered in red velvet and protected by wrought-iron fittings. Cut corner brackets, a hinged hasp and side handles form its carrying apparatus. The upper lid opens onto a storage compartment, while the front fall-front reveals a façade arranged in three rows of drawers. The reverse of the lid and that of the fall-front are decorated with marquetry of incised bone featuring leafy scrolls, foliate ornaments and cartouches, set within ebony surrounds. The drawer fronts feature hardstone cabochons — agates, jaspers and veined marbles — set into fine cartouches of engraved bone and highlighted by ebony mouldings. The contrast between the outer casing, designed for transport, and the preciousness of the interior decoration characterises this example of 17th-century Italian cabinetmaking.