LOUIS XIII PERIOD CABINET In ebony and blackened wood veneer, the front opening with two drawers at the top, two leaves illustrating Le Repos pendant la Fuite en Egypte and La Sainte Famille avec Jean Baptiste enfant revealing an interior with fourteen drawers around the two central doors, an interior theater in violet, amaranth and satinwood with eight drawers, the base opening with two drawers, supported by six tapered uprights joined by a strut 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: When leaving the EU, a CITES re-export certificate may be required, at the expense 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 as early as the Middle Ages for the creation of small objects, became widespread in the 16th century for the manufacture of small pieces of furniture. It wasn't until the 17th th century, with the development of the ebony trade, that it became widely used for cabinets. A precious wood that is very difficult to carve, it is used for veneering, giving rise to the word cabinetmaker, to designate the craftsmen who adorn furniture with ebony and, more generally, veneered wood, as opposed to the joiner who works 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 piece, the use of ebony and the wavy decoration of the moldings, and French influences in the carved decoration. A piece of ceremonial furniture of imposing proportions, the upper part is crowned by a cornice and drawers, and opens to reveal two leaves with drawers and a niche decorated with polychrome perspective decoration, contrasting with the sobriety of the whole and creating a surprise effect. Decorated with carved scenes taken from engravings, which were intensively traded in Paris in the 17th century, they take up religious subjects from the Old and New Testaments or mythological subjects. The fashion for these cabinets dates back to the 1620s-1630s, reaching its peak in the 1640s-1650s and dying out after 1660. They were worn by leading 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 to have appeared on the market in recent years, let's recall the example sold at Christie's London on April 27, 2016, lot 226, or the one from the Gustav Leonhardt collection, sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam on April 29, 2014, lot 432.