FIRST QUARTER 17TH CENTURY AND LATER

Cabinets like the present lot, with four carved coats-of-arms to the doors from the first quarter of the seventeenth century, are rare. The depiction of four coats of arms (instead of the more usual two), evoking the marriage between the families, indicates that this was an important alliance between these, probably noble, families and that they were proud of their origin. Research into the arms by L. Van Aalst and A. Hofstede in the literature shows that the first crest on the left door represents the family Hania (Van Hania, Hania van Weidum), while the second shield was used inter alia by the families Akker, Allinga, Fopma, Van Haringxma, Van Oosterzee, Ten Poortenga, Poortinga, Stellingwerf, Tromp and Warmolts. The first crest on the right-hand door represents the Frisian families of Ayta, Aytta van Zuijchem, Tsjema and Sickma and the last shield is associated with the Heeringa family. Since these coats-of-arms were used mainly by Friesian families, we know almost certainly that this is a Frisian closet.