Cabinet

between 1610 and 1643

On View

European: 17th Century French, Level 2, South Wing

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

Prominently placed in grand baroque interiors, cabinets-onstand were highly prized for their sculptural decoration, imported veneers, and their startling illusionism. Their tops provided ideal display surfaces for Chinese porcelains, bronze statuettes, and other objets d'art.
The cabinet doors, elaborately carved in relief, illustrate events in Greco-Roman mythology, French literature, ancient history, and the Bible. Scenes from the Old Testament story of Susannah and the Elders decorate the doors of this cabinet. Inside are shallow drawers where small precious objects, such as medals and jewels, could be stored. A second set of doors at center conceals a miniature stagelike setting, contrived of mirrors, malachite, and marquetries of exotic woods and stained horn.

Title Cabinet

Artwork Date between 1610 and 1643

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. French

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Exterior: ebony veneer on pine and walnut carcass; interior: kingwood, amaranth, ebony, holly, green-died horn, mirrors, and gilt bronze

Dimensions Overall: 81 1/4 × 75 × 25 inches (206.4 × 190.5 × 63.5 cm)

Classification Furniture

Department European Sculpture and Dec Arts

Credit Founders Society Purchase with funds from the Friends of K. T. Keller in honor of his 70th birthday

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 55.458

Markings

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Provenance

French Art Galleries, Inc (Dealer)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Payne, Elizabeth H. "Two Late Renaissance Cabinets." Bulletin of the DIA 36, 1 (1956-57): pp. 6-10 (ill.).

cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 26 (1931): pp. 232-236.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

French, Cabinet, between 1610 and 1643, exterior: ebony veneer on pine and walnut carcass; interior: kingwood, amaranth, ebony, holly, green-died horn, mirrors, and gilt bronze. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from the Friends of K. T. Keller in honor of his 70th birthday, 55.458.