An Italian tortoiseshell, ebony, ebonised and ivory cabinet applied with paintings on glass, Neapolitan mid 17th century

of breakfront form, with a panelled frieze above a portico on Solomonic columns with Corinthian capitols enclosing a mirrored and painted interior with three short drawers, with a drawer below and another above set with panels arranged in a stylised fan design, with three drawers on either side and slightly projecting side panels, the side and base moulding veneered in tortoiseshell, the conforming later base with four spirally-twisted front legs, with a panelled backboard and platform stretcher on flattenend bun feet, the painted glass panels with Biblical scenes including the Angel appearing to Elizabeth, Joseph being sold into Bondage, the Worship of the Golden Calf, Lot and his Daughters,Rebekeah and Eliezer at the well,  the Sacrifice of Isaac, Elijah's dream, Jonah and the Whale, the other panels painted with cherubs 

One of a pair sold in these Rooms, 18th May 1984, lot 54.

In overall good conserved condition apart from breaks in several of the glass panels-some of which are not visible in the catalogue photogtraph. They are to the-left side drawers first, second and third drawers, on the right side-first and third drawer. On the frieze on the left side in the photograph-there is a small chip to the second panel and breaks in the third and fourth panels. The three vertical panels on the right side with cherubs all have breaks The colour slightly darker overall than in the catalogue photograph. Attractively painted panels. Some minor losses to the tortoiseshell generally which can easily be restored. The tortoiseshell has been restored in places. There is an approx 12cm long section of tortoiseshell missing from the moulding on the base of the left side of the cabinet when facing. Impressive cabinet.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
Enrico Colle, Il Mobile Barocco in Italia, Milan, 2000, pp. 66-67.
Luis Feduchi, Historia de los Estilos del Meuble Espagnol, Barcelona, 1969, plates 296 and 297.

Alvar González-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, le arti decorative in Italia fra classicismi e barocco Roma e il Regno delle Due Sicilie, Milan, 1986, Vol. II,  p.169, fig. 384.
This impressive and monumental cabinet combining exotic and precious materials such as tortoiseshell and ebony mounted with beautifully reverse painted glass panels depicting biblical themes, represents the apogee of Neapolitan cabinet-making in the 17th century. It conveys the appreciation of luxury and refined aestheticism of their anonymous patrons. These panels are commonly catalogued as being in the manner of Luca Giordano, athough no cabinet of this type has definatively been attributed to Giordano to date.

A number of these cabinets are recorded in Spain, where they are catalogued as Spanish, however, they are almost certainly of Neapolitan origin, as there were strong ties between Naples and Spain in the 17th century, Naples being ruled by the Spanish sovereign at that time. Similar pieces are listed and described in documents from the archives of the Prince of Avellino, the Duke of Calabritti and Cardinal Carafa, members of the Neapolitan aristocracy. A bill dated 22nd October 1679, was paid by Giovanni Battista Tara for a pair of ebony-veneered cabinets mounted with painted panels, see Alvar González-Palacios, op. cit., pp. 222-224. In 1676, Sir Thomas Isham, one of the earliest Grand Tourists returned from Naples with a pair of cabinets mounted with paintings on glass which are still at the  family seat Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire. 

There are various related cabinets recorded including but not exclusively:
-a cabinet with a related stand with spirally turned legs, in the Palace of Perelada, Gerona, the glass panels painted with mythological scenes, illustrated by Feduchi, op. cit., p. 212, fig. 185.
- a cabinet in Palazzo Barberini, Rome, illustrated by A.G.P., op. cit., fig. 384 and by Colle, op. cit., No. 14, p. 66.
- a pair of cabinets in the collection of the Marquess de Campo-Franco, Palma de Mallorca, illustrated by Feduchi, op. cit., figs. 296 and 297.
- two cabinets in the Son-Veri collection, Mallorca, illustrated by Feduchi, op. cit., figs. 299 and 300.
- a cabinet in the Palacio de Vivó, Mallorca, illustrated by Feduchi, ibid, fig. 301.
- a cabinet in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 
- a pair of cabinets painted in the manner of Luca Giordano, with mythological and allegorical scenes, sold in these Rooms, 20th November 1990, lot 45.
- a pair of cabinets sold Christie’s Puig y Castillo de Bendinat, Mallorca 24th-25^thMay 1999, lot 237(£118, 625).
- a cabinet sold in these Rooms, 18th November 2009, lot 322 (£85, 250).