An early Utrecht Renaissance two-door cabinet with particularly rich and detailed ornamentation. The cabinet stands upon a separate base formed by three stout block legs connected by slightly recessed cusped arches with floral spandrels. The blocks are decorated with lion masks within recessed cusped frames. These legs visually extend into the body of the cabinet, where they form the side stiles flanking the doors. Said stiles have fluted upper sections and are decorated at the bottom with elaborate grotesques, possibly based on a design by Hans Vredeman de Vries. The two doors are each fitted with two square panels with complex parquetry of oak cut in a variety of directions to create an ever-shifting visual display. The panels are vertically separated by horizontal panels carved with a composition of a dragon interwoven with elegant floral elements.

The whole is crowned by an upper section featuring a frieze articulated by nine portrait busts representing men, women, lions and fantastic beasts. The date 1622 is marked beneath the central bust at the front. Between the busts are a variety of carved seahorses, mascarons and tulips. Above this runs the horizontally moulded, strongly projecting cornice, with further ornamental mouldings with crenelations and floral motifs carved beneath.

Literature:
Loek van Aalst en Annigje Hofstede, Noord-Nederlandse meubelen, van renaissance tot vroege barok 1550-1670, 2011, p. 191-210