Italian cabinet
CultureItalian
Date1600-1850
MediumGilt-bronze mounted hardstone insets, ebony and ebonized mahogany
Dimensions4 feet, 2 3/4 inches x 2 feet, 4 3/4 inches x 1 foot, 1 3/4 inches
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2020.35
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 204
Label TextCabinet, early 1600s Stand, early 1800s Roman Gilt-bronze mounted hardstone insets, ebony and ebonized mahogany In the 1500s and 1600s, ornately decorated cabinets of precious woods were often the centerpieces of collector’s study rooms, also known as cabinets of wonder or curiosity cabinets. These collections, which often featured art, artifacts, and natural objects, are often considered the first museums. The centerpiece chests had many drawers to store and organize collections like coins, medals, shells, or other smaller objects according to scientific or “philosophical” categories. We are not sure what this cabinet was intended to store. Perhaps it was for semi-precious stones, as suggested by the many examples inset in bronze on the exterior. The four bronze feet, however, point to a possible shell collection. On the center drawer, Fortuna balances precariously on a wheel that could turn forwards or backwards. This would remind the wealthy owner of the fickleness of fate as contrasted to the firm value of the study of art and nature. Museum purchase 2020.35ProvenanceLennel House, Coldstream, Scotland to CMA.
ca. 1650
c.1850
