CABINET WITH SILK DECORATION Baroque, Flemish,... Lot 1030

CABINET WITH SILK DECORATION Baroque, Flemish, probably Antwerp, mid 17th century. Wood ebonised. Rectangular corpus on straight frame and squeeze feet. Recessed end with compartment under sliding lid. Front with cassetted double doors. Interior divided into 25 cassettes, covered with silk and silver thread fabrics, opening to nineteen drawers on five tiers. The fabric work with flowers, leaves and bird motifs. The two central crossbars of the interior pull out and with secret compartment. The doors inside with coffers, depictions of orientals. Small bronze handles in the form of buttons (incomplete). 1 key. 78 × 43.5 × 76 cm. Few cracks and restorations. Feet later. Woven silk fabrics were used as decorative elements in England as well as in Holland. Various weaving and embroidery techniques such as petit and gross point etc. were used, often on a silk basis. In addition to biblical and historical scenes, animal depictions and floral motifs were also popular. Cf. Monique Riccardi-Cubitt. The art of the Cabinet. London 1992. p 64 and 65 with some comparative examples.