LATE 16TH CENTURY, THE EXTERIOR PROBABLY FORMERLY WITH DECORATIVE MARQUETRY,

This form of small and portable table-cabinet which was used as a means of storing valuables has its roots in the Spanish vargueño, transported into central Europe under the Hapsburg influence. Augsburg and Nuremburg were the centers of production of these cabinets, which are part of an extensive group of similarly decorated furniture from Swabia, Bavaria, and Tirol, all inlaid with characteristic marquetry of stylized ruins, scrollwork, and architectural scenes. The use of verre eglomisé panels depicting the Gods Saturn, Mars and Venus on the current table-cabinet is an extremely rare and interesting technique.