LOUIS XIII PERIOD CABINET In ebony veneer and blackened wood, the front opening with two drawers in the upper part, two leaves illustrating Le Repos pendant la Fuite en Egypte and La Sainte Famille avec Jean Baptiste enfant revealing an interior fitted with fourteen drawers around the two central doors, an interior theatre in violet wood, amaranth and satinwood fitted with eight drawers, the base opening with two drawers, supported by six tapered uprights joined by a stretcher top and finished with flattened ball feet of later period; Accidents and missing parts H. 184.5 cm (72 ½ in.) l. 155 cm (61 in.) P. 59 cm (23 ¼ in.) A Louis XIII ebony, ebonised, kingwood, amaranth and satinwood cabinet on stand This lot is sold in aid of the 30 Millions d'Amis Foundation. This lot is being sold in aid of 30 Millions d'Amis. * Information for buyers: If you are leaving the EU, you may need to obtain a CITES re-export certificate, which is the responsibility of the future buyer. * Information to buyers : For an exit from the EU, a CITES re-export certificate will be necessary, at the buyer's expense. Ebony, used from the Middle Ages onwards to create small objects, became widely used in the 16th century to make small pieces of furniture. It was not until the 17th century, with the development of the ebony trade, that its use became widespread for cabinets. A precious wood that was very difficult to carve, it was used for veneering, and this use gave rise to the word cabinetmaker, to designate the craftsmen who decorated furniture with ebony and, more generally, veneered wood, as opposed to the joiner who worked with solid wood. Our cabinet is typical of Parisian production in the first half of the 17th century, combining German influences in the shape of the furniture, the use of ebony and the wavy decoration of the mouldings, and French influences in the carved decoration. A piece of ceremonial furniture, its proportions are imposing, the upper part surmounted by a cornice and drawers, opening with two leaves revealing drawers and a niche decorated with polychrome perspective decoration, contrasting with the sobriety of the whole and creating an effect of surprise. Decorated with carved scenes taken from engravings, which were traded extensively in Paris in the 17th century, they depict religious subjects from the Old and New Testaments or mythological subjects. The fashion for these cabinets dates back to the 1620s and 1630s, reaching its peak in the 1640s and 1650s and dying out after 1660. They were worn by major figures in the kingdom such as Richelieu, Mazarin and Chancellor Séguier, as well as by members of the court, the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie in France and England. Among the few comparable pieces that have appeared on the market in recent years, we should mention the example sold at Christie's London on 27 April 2016, lot 226, or the one from the Gustav Leonhardt collection, sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam on 29 April 2014, lot 432.