Day 210 - Dutch cabinet




 September 4, 2020

Gallery 551 is devoted to the decorative arts of the late Baroque and Rococo periods, about 1670-1730. The objects on display - furniture, silver, clocks, ceramics, tapestries, and more - come mostly from Italy, France, Germany, The Netherlands, and England.  But I am surprised to see, too, some lovely and refined objects made by Hungarian and Transylvanian goldsmiths, and to learn that this region produced much of the precious metal used throughout Europe (though, come to think of it, in the arms and armor galleries, I did note some armor made by Hungarian armorers). Given how poor Moldova is now, it's especially surprising to see an elaborate silver basin and ewer made for the Grand Duke of Wallachia (which, as I later learn, is a part of present-day Romania bordering on Moldova); the objects were probably intended as part of the dowry for the Grand Duke's daughter when she married a Moldavian prince.  On the other hand, grand dukes and princes probably had a lot of wealth, even in otherwise poor countries (viz., Indian maharajas). 

I don't much like many of the objects; they seem so grandiose, ornate, and meant to impress. A wall sign refers to the "lightness, delicacy, and movement" of the Rococo style, and that it developed in reaction to the "stately formality" of the Baroque. But I don't see it. Or maybe I would see it if I were looking at single objects rather than a substantial number of showy pieces amassed in one room.

But I would love to own today's object, a cabinet on a stand made in Amsterdam around 1700-1710 and attributed to  Jan van Mekeren. The cabinet, which measures perhaps 5 feet wide,  5 feet high, and 2 feet in depth, is simple in design. Its straight contours are emphasized by long rectangular strips along the top, base, and center, along with rectangular panels on either side of the center. But oh, what delight lies  within those strips and panels! Marquetry, using barberry, rosewood, olivewood, ebony, holly, tulipwood, and other woods inlaid in oak,  is used to depict more than two hundred flowers. Among these, I recognize tulips, carnations, and daffodils; others I'm less sure of but may include  freesias, irises, and peonies. The flowers are set against a dark ground (the ebony?) and loosely bound together by curling marquetried ribbons. And when I walk around the sides to estimate the depth, I see that these are also embellished with marquetried flowers, which are set in vases against a dark oval ground.The balance between the plain form of the cabinet and its wonderfully vivid decoration, along with the way this decoration is set off against the warmth of the oak, makes this one fabulous piece. 


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