An ebony cabinet, with rectangular lifting top and concave frieze, above two panelled cupboard doors, enclosing a fitted interior of ten short drawers and one cupboard door enclosing a mirrored interior, with fifteen painted panels by a follower of Martin

As pointed out by R. Fabri, "De 17de-eeuwse Antwerpse Kunstkast: Typologische en Historische Aspecten" in Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, 1991, the production of such cabinets began circa 1620 in Antwerp. They were meant to be placed on a table, usually draped with a thick rug, in the reception room of city mansions. Contemporary painted interiors show they were display pieces, with the doors permanently open. They were usually centrally placed, against the wall opposite the entrance door or near the chimney. Often a mirror was placed behind, to heighten the decorative effect. Also it would be placed in such a way that sunlight would fall onto and radiate from the mirrored centre, which was therefore called the prospektiefke. The cabinets were used to house collections of jewelry, silver, minerals, shells and other specimen; on the top a crucifix, a clock or porcelain was sometimes displayed. The same author, in an article of 1993 in Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, points out that for the painted decoration of the drawers, specialised studios were commissioned. These have been rarely identified, because of the lack of signed works.