Cabinet; Spain or Naples, late 17th century.

Cabinet; Spain or Naples, late seventeenth century.
Ebonized walnut and tortoiseshell simile.
Table of later period.
Measurements: 66 x 123 x 43 cm; 64 x 124 x 42 cm (table).
This cabinet, attributed to the Spanish or Neapolitan production of the late seventeenth century, is a great example of luxury furniture for the European nobility and gentry. Made of solid ebonized walnut wood, the cabinet has a sober and elegant structure that contrasts with the intense decorative richness of its front, covered with panels of imitation tortoiseshell (a common technique for achieving the precious effect of exotic materials) and profusely ornamented with gilded chiseled bronze fittings.
The cabinet is organized in three main sections: two lateral bodies of drawers and a central compartment. The latter is presented as a small architectural "temple", highlighted by turned columns and miniature stipes, all enriched with gilded bronze applications and topped with a round sculptural figure, which gives a scenographic character to the whole. The meticulousness of these details is evidence of the influence of baroque taste, characterized by its theatricality, its search for hallmarks of light and its eagerness to amaze.
The modular organization of the drawers, both in number and arrangement, responds to criteria of symmetry and functionality, typical of this type of furniture designed to house precious objects, documents and small personal treasures. The side handles suggest that the cabinet was transportable, conceived both for private ostentation and for accompanying its owner on trips.
The cabinet is elevated on a table with spiral turned legs -typical of the last third of the 17th century- joined by wrought iron crosspieces in the form of a double curve, which reinforce the stability of the piece while contributing to its visual prestige.
In sum, this piece not only reflects the refined technical mastery of the Spanish-Napolitan cabinetmakers of the time, but also the complex networks of cultural circulation between Spain and Italy during the Baroque period, where furniture became an object of art, a symbol of power, erudition and social prestige.