Imposing wooden cabinet covered with ivory and painted ivory with gilded bronze applications. Augsburg, Germany. Circa 1650. Possibly from Melchior Baumgartner’s workshop (1621-1686) 27 x 24 x 18 cm. Magnificent cabinet, probably for keeping jewellery in. The central body has two doors which show us two Biblical scenes from the story of Adam and Eve when opened. The interior has a central body with a shrine surrounded by small drawers. All of this is decorated with magnificent miniature scenes from the Old testament, such as the Great Flood, the Tower of Babel and Isaac’s Sacrifice, all following models of engravings by Albrecht Dürer. The upper part has a top with a folding lid and the lower part has a draw that rests on a base with small claws. There is a similar chest kept in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, with the inventory number W.60-1923. As we can read in the description on the museum’s index card: “By about 1600, Augsburg, in Germany, was already the centre of the production of cabinets, mostly in ebony and, more rarely, in ivory, mounted with silver or gilt brass, enamel and semi-precious stones. Because these cabinets were made from precious materials and assembled with such skill, they were regarded as fit for princes and noblemen and served as diplomatic gifts. Https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O61320/table-cabinet-baumgartner-melchior/